Review by Amskeating:

In U.K. Amy Winehouse has been a tabloid regular recently with tales of anoxeria, addiction, and drunken TV appearances, but she really should let her music speak for itself . . . especially when it’s as good as this.

Her debut, “Frank”, was sometimes stodgy and definitely over praised, but no praise is too high for this unashamedly retro, but beautifully observed and realised take on classic girl group pop and Motown soul.

The 11 songs all sound like great lost classics from the 60s, snappily written with a mix of bitterly caustic lyrics and finger popping tunes, then delivered in a voice that alternates sexy smouldering with dismissive contempt.

She started last year amid criticism from all corners over her dramatic weight loss and ended it heralded as the new queen of UK cool; with hair messier than a sleepover with Pete Doherty, a mouth like a drunken fish wife and an album swelling with the kind of lump-in-throat emotional soul last heard sometime in the late 70s, somewhere in Detroit

Hence it was somewhat of a surprise when it reared its sultry head again in 2006. With near genius production from hip pop mainstay Mark Ronson (who also had a finger in the tasty pie that was Lily Allen’s debut), stomping, romping punk-rock-jazz was the order of the day as Ms Winehouse showed everyone what being a real lady is all about.

Review by Adarsh Amin:

The sassy 23 year old Londoner delivers the goods with swagger and panache. 2003s single “Stronger Than Me” and album “Frank” weren’t exactly great sellers, despite being hits with the critics. This time it’s a totally different situation, because she’s appealed to fans and critics alike. Winehouse has a new-found confidence, having slimmed down four dress sizes with more aggressive make-up; she’s turning into the UK’s most promising talent in years.

” Back To Black” is a masterstroke of contemporary Jazz-crossover material, all delivered with supreme style. Her razor-sharp singing is a major highlight, however, this album is all about truly brilliant songs, all written by Winehouse herself, with some collaborations.

Using Robbie Williams’ and lily Allen’s studio wizard Mark Ronson, Amy is going into a totally different stratosphere with this one, leaving Katie Melua and Norah Jones in her wake.

Amy said, “I didn’t want to play that jazz thing up too much again. I was bored of complicated chord structures and needed something more direct”. That said, Jazz is very much a prime element, though this time.

Jam-packed with superb songs and impressive production, she’s breaking new ground, though the past plays a big part. Delving, in places, into Tamla Motown and The Specials’ musical ideas (“You Know I’m No Good”), she’s proved to be a top class songwriter.

“Rehab” is an out and out classic, with many shades of Motown with modern twists. “Me And Mr.Jones” is textbook 60s swing, which other singers like Christina Aguilera are adopting. There’s no question where the title track came from – right out of the Motown school of classic pop – you could just see the Funk Brothers doing their inimitable thing on this – brilliant.

The stunning Soul ballad “Loving Is A Losing Game” could again be a Motown classic, taking Diana Ross head on, possibly her finest moment, as is the sprightly “Tears Dry On Their Own” : a (slight) remix could well be the next single – and another hit for sure. The triumvirate run-in has ballads using R’n'B beats, and yes, even more Motown stylings on the addictively punchy “Addicted”.

For one so young, “Back To Back” is truly remarkable, invigorating, and genuinely sensational. She’s not only a diva, but a phenomenal talent, with her best years to come.

Review by D. Pawl:

Amy, Amy, Amy…..(to quote a song from this album)

FRANK, the debut by the wildly talented Amy Winehouse, released five years ago, is a fusion of 1940s and 1950s jazz/blues and contemporary soul. These songs were released when Ms. Winehouse was nineteen and filled with worldly insight. Yes, most of it’s pretty bitter and uncensored accounts of her bad experiences with men, the infamous subjects of her song “F-Me Pumps,” who are aging golddiggers, and frank observances about substance abuse and sex.

The band is tight and seamless here. The combination of a soaring horn section, soulful percussion and Amy’s sultry vocals make the album as technically brilliant as it is entertaining. I found myself giggling, because her lyrics are just so honest and real! Amy doesn’t pull any punches. I particularly love “Amy, Amy, Amy” which is a grand nod to the great jazz and soul bands of the 1930s and 1940s. Damn, that horn is seductive. Also, she penned all of the tunes on this album herself, with the exception of her beautiful, reggae-inspired cover of “Moody’s In the Mood For Love.” You really can’t compare her to anyone! One of a kind…….Brilliant, wonderful and bitingly intelligent……….

Review by kevvers:

If you think Back to Black is brilliant, wait until you hear Frank! Soul and Jazz stylings meet together here and the end result is magnificent.

Review by Jim Z:

You have to acknowledge the TALENT that Amy Winehouse has….This is an excellent album with an entire disc of unreleased material. She has a very unique , throwback style that is completely modern , yet pays homage to the female artists that came before her. Although I don’t agree with her much publicized antics , she is one VERY talented artist…I just hopes she stays around for many future releases

Review by Alex Honda:

The FRANK DELUXE EDITION two-cd set from Amy Winehouse is a treasure. Jazzier than Back to Black, FRANK is a call back to another place and time. Winehouse is pure talent and it’s a shame that her personal life is so out of control that it might bring the end to such a force of nature.

The first cd in FRANK must be the original cd and begins with an intro of Winehouse scatting. It goes on with songs that have a funky jazz & soul beat and Winehouse sounds like a cross between Billie Holliday and Shirley Bassey, with a little Barbra Streisand thrown in for good measure. I love her remake of “Moody’s Mood For Love.” There are also a couple of hidden tracks that start after the “Outro.”

But the real treat is the second cd. This bonus disc has Winehouse covering classics like “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “Teach Me Tonight,” and “‘Round Midnight” and she makes them all her own. Also included on cd 2 are live versions of the songs “Stronger Than Me,” “I Heard Love Is Blind,” “Take The Box,” and “In My Bed” and other mixes of songs from cd 1.

Also included is a small booklet with liner notes by Paul Flynn and the lyrics to the songs on cd 1.

Hopefully Ms. Winehouse will get her self together. But even if she doesn’t, FRANK DELUXE ED. is an enjoyable cd set.

Review by JosephCa64:

This certainly is an accurate capturing of Amy Winehouse in concert. She’s a bit tipsy, her between songs banter with the crowd is all at once funny, charming and rambling. She seems to lose her train of thought a time or two, but when she sings, there is no denying the magic and power of her voice. Her wonderful backing band does a stellar job throughout and the home turf of London makes for a very appreciative and supportive crowd.

I thouroughly enjoyed the hour long documentary “I Told You I Was Trouble.” Some great behind the scenes footage of her younger days, never before seen performances–even a very early showcase inside her record company’s offices. If you are a fan of Miss Amy, you will greatly enjoy this DVD. Well worth the price!

Review by D. Hinson:

Not since Madonna appeared on the music radar has an artist captivated my eye, ear, and heart the way Ms. Winehouse has. I realize they are worlds apart musically, but the presence and panache that they both exhibit are what makes me draw the parallel. Amy has the f-you attitude that Madonna had when she was starting out. She seems more concerned with doing her thing than warming up to those who would criticize her. Her delivery comes across as spontaneous, her in-between ramblings as extemporaneous–without any thought or concern for what people will think. Madonna was never this natural or uncalculated, but just as brash. And then there is that voice…like Etta James, Billie Holliday, Bettye LaVette, and all The Supremes rolled into one beautiful confection–chased with a shot of Tequila. Just listen to “Back To Black”, “Love Is A Losing Game”, and “You Know I’m No Good” and you will see an artiste/icon in the making. I hope and pray that her time in treatment will bring her back to the road she should be ruling. It would be a great tragedy for her to fall prey to the same habits that have robbed us of so many of our greatest talents. Don’t let the reviews that talk about her supposed drunkenness dissuade you from buying this dvd–she may be tipsy, but she stays on top of her game, and lets the songs speak very clearly for themselves. The documentary is fascinating–with her demo performance included alongside observations from her fans, a record label exec (very articulate in respecting her awe inspiring talent) and her father (charming in his own way). One suggestion: Turn the subtitles on during the documentary to catch all that Amy (who speaks very fast in a heavy British accent–one of the reasons people always think she’s drunk) has to say. She is funny, charming, smart, self-effacing, and–that rarest of qualities in someone in posession of such brilliance and success–REAL! I, for one, can’t imagine the world without her!

BTW–Anyone knowing what the “Back to Black And White Extra Option” is on the dvd–please share it here. Did I miss something? God, I hope so!!!

Review by Vereen:

THIS REVIEW DEALS ONLY WITH THE EDITING OF CURSE WORDS FOR THE CLEAN ALBUM.

I bought the clean version of this album because she uses the “f” word in several songs on the other version and I have young children. The edited version is a disappointment. The curse words are clumsily half-blotted out, leaving an awkward space in the songs, while the phrase, “You don’t mean [...] to me” remains untouched. I will still have to press the skip button, which negates the whole point of buying a clean version! If the Black Eyed Peas and Jay-Z can come up with alternate lyrics for some of their edited songs, then certainly Amy Winehouse’s handlers could have done the same.

Review by Mark in Texas:

I bought this clean version for a co-worker’s 5th grader who had been skipping the roughest words when she sang along with her mother’s uncut version. I wish I had known that the clean version did not have new words to replace the harshest words, just audio masking of the rough words from the original.

For the ‘tweener kids, better to decide whether they should listen to a particular song at all (viz., Me and Mr. Jones).

Otherwise, the album is great, a beautiful channelling of the 60s R&B style with Amy’s sense of loss in her own love life.

Review by fritto misto cum jazz:

After almost a decade of absence – 25 years into her career – the elegant soul /jazz siren is back with “Soldier Of Love”.

The new album sees Sade reunited with the same musicians (Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denman and Andrew Hale) who performed on her 1984 debut “Diamond Life”, which became the classic yuppie dinner party soundtrack. It catapulted her to the forefront of the 1980s soul jazz scene and spawned the singles “Smooth Operator” and “Your Love is King”.

But despite the success of “Diamond Life” and her follow-up albums – selling a total of 50m records worldwide – Sade has shunned the limelight and has lived in “self-exile”, including stints in Spain and Jamaica.

Now 50, she remains one of the most iconic female vocalists alive – partly because of the stylish image she fostered in the fashion-conscious Eighties.

The title song is the least Sade-like track here – with its metallic, shiny, marching band-style drum beats not far from trip hop/Tricky territory, it’s the toughest-sounding thing she’s ever done, though the lyric posits the idea of the relationship as battleground.

The track is a bit of a revelation – a rich, atmospheric pop symphony with, as the title suggests, a military theme. What’s impressive is how fully-realised that theme is, from the marching band percussion to the cadence call-style hooks, the guitar riffs that ape the sound of gunfire to Sade crooning lines like “I’ve lost the use of my heart”.

The remaining nine tracks can’t quite match it for shock value.

They glide by elegantly, registering subtle variations.

My highligts: “Baby Father”, a gentle reggae-tinged confection apparently extolling the constancy of paternal love. It’s in marked contrast to the wounded bittersweetness and the overall melancholy of the remainder of the tracklist: the feel-good beat will have you shaking your booty.

It all gets a little too cosy on “In Another Time”, a waltz-time slog where a saxophone and string quartet provide an orchestral extravaganza. Pure magic.

“Be That Easy”: Sade’s soaring hypnotic voice leaves listeners in a zombie-like trance.

As usual, the album is immaculately produced, and Sade oozes class and sophistication, although seemingly offering variations on a single theme. Recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio, this album “illustrates the dilemma of the long-term artist: whether to alienate fans with a radical departure or risk the charge of repetition”. – Paul Lester

All in all, it’s a pleasant and sonic balm, which will make her fans immensely happy, even if there’s nothing quite adventurous, rare, powerful and intelligently written as the title track may imply and suggest.

Enjoy!

The album debuts at # 1 of the Billboard Top 200 Albums and at # 1 of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at # 1 of the Billboard Top Canadian Albums.

Issue date: February 27, 2010

Review by Sergio Lynn Eddie:

In a day and age when you turn on the radio and hear some of the most untalented people you’ve never heard of, it is so refreshing to hear some real music. This is what Sade does. They always give real music. The songs are slow, yes, but they all have a story behind them. This is nice and mellow music. The songs are wonderful. “In Another Time” is gorgeous. I love that song. Same with “The Moon and the Sky”. ” Skin” is a good track with a nice groove and a nice MJ reference in it. If you are a Sade fan, this is a good CD. If you are new to Sade, this is still a good CD. Try it and you will see. Plus Sade’s voice is still as exotic and sexy as ever.

Review by Clarissa:

I was never a big fan of Sade until her newest release LOVERS ROCK came out, took me ashore and then blew me away. I was never one to listen to anything associated with R&B either until Sade opened my doors into the world of neo-soul which just threw me for a loop. It’s kind of like R&B except that it’s more meaningful and mature. And while many might say that Sade has a voice that is thin and weak I would really like to differ. Her voice is low-key (I’m not gonna lie) but it’s deeply sensuous and soultry with a smoky richness that is absolutely stunning. Her musical styling is also very interesting for it consists of smooth jazz (thanks in part to saxaphones and trumpets) with neo-soul (The Sweetest Taboo, No Ordinary Love) and urban beats (Never As Good As The First Time, Cherish The Day) that often sound like the perfect soundtrack for an island party (aka, Smooth Operator, Paradise). There are also some powerful ballads here like Jezebel and the haunting Pearls which often push me back into my chair as to melt into the melody. This is an amazing album and it deserves a spot in everyone’s collection. This is highly recommended.

Review by Lonnie E. Holder:

Sade’s voice should be in the dictionary as a definition of sultry. When she sings in the style she does best she is absolutely phenomenal. Her voice is the ultimate in romantic music and is suitable for darkened restaurants, living rooms (a fireplace would be good) and even bedrooms. Her music can make you feel mellow and cozy and is great music to fall into the eyes of your significant other.At least one other reviewer has commented that Sade is a one-trick pony because her vocal talent is generally limited to one style. On the flip side, she sings best when she sings in the style that is her trademark. As an example, in the song “Nothing Can Come Between Us” Sade tries a bit faster pace and a different style, and the music overruns her vocals. I listen to Sade’s music to listen to her, and when the instruments become the primary voice in a song then I feel as though I am not listening to Sade. This particular song is also very derivative and somewhat lackluster as compared to most of her other songs.Sade’s voice is well exploited and at its best in songs such as “Smooth Operator,” “The Sweetest Taboo,” and the emotional, heartfelt “Jezebel.” But the examples on this CD are numerous extend well beyond these songs. “No Ordinary Love” is powerful, Sade sings from some deep place inside of her that connects you to her soul. This song is more than seven minutes of passion and beauty. Try listening to this song in a completely dark room, preferably holding your significant other, and keeping your eyes closed. The power of this song will flow through you and give you a most amazing feeling.There are so many other wonderful songs on this CD that I could easily extol the virtues of nearly all of them. “Please Send Me Someone to Love” is a wonderful blues song that is so sad and longing that it threatens to wrest tears from your eyes if you listen to it too long. “Pearls” is just that, a jewel of a song to cap off this collection. Once again Sade brings so much emotion to this song, perhaps the most emotion of any song in this collection. Dive deep into this song, it is worth it.Sade is difficult to categorize, because she brings so many influences to her music. Some have classified her music as Jazz, and some of her music is Jazz-influenced. In some places she shows up as soft rock or easy listening, and both would be at least partially correct. However, in the end what matters is the music; classifications are merely a way of organizing, and we know that art sometimes defies organization because it goes where it will.

Review by John Jones:

Aside from one of the most erratic recording schedules in pop history, Sade has spent her career being known and revered for her indisputably original sound. Imitators have come and gone, and countless artists site her as an influence (as controversial as it sounds, she is as important and unique to R&B as the Beatles were to rock), but in the end there is only one Sade, with a voice as warm as an island breeze and grooves as fluid as an ocean’s tide. And thankfully, a seven-year hiatus after 1993′s “Love Deluxe” hasn’t dulled those sensibilities, either: the comeback record “Lovers Rock” proves itself exceedingly worthy of a place in her musical legacy.Make no mistake; Sade is no more conscious of musical trends than she ever was. She still favors sparse but insistent rhythms, still sings with a deceptively simple seduction, and is still backed up by the same musicians (keyboardist Andrew Hale, guitarist Stuart Matthewman, and bassist Paul Denman). These elements make the first track (and single), “By Your Side,” instantly familiar, for all its melodic understatement and flowing beats. A sort of cross between 60′s rock and soul, the song is classic Sade all the way. But be prepared to raise an eyebrow elsewhere on the record; “Flow” offers a surprising taste of hip-hop folk, while “King of Sorrow” pairs up traditional Spanish influences with a warm wah-wah guitar. The smooth, destined-for-radio “Somebody Already Broke My Heart” adds a dose of modern soul, while “Every Word” even finds Ms. Adu dabbling in a dose of rock.Another important aspect of trying new ideas is knowing when to let them end, and impressively, the reggae pop of “All About Our Love” and the swinging lullaby of “The Sweetest Gift” both clock in under three minutes and still sound like perfectly complete ideas. The production on “Slave Song” is another triumph, as the surreal percussion and keyboard effects are the perfect compliment to a lyric that tells a narrative most of us can barely even imagine; the end result is appropriately haunting. Another effective moment comes on the socially-conscious “Immigrant,” which once again proves that less is more: giving examples of the humiliation a man of color endures in the face of prejudice, a simple line like “to even the toughest among us/that would be too much” sums things up so clearly and eloquently, the lyric gets its point with all the force of an expletive-laden rap song.But the album’s most irresistible moment, however, is more familiar but no less impressive: the sensual samba of the title track supports a sparse, lushly-chorded keyboard line and intricate guitar highlights, all topped off with Sade’s unique poetry (“I am in the wilderness/you are in the music in the man’s car next to me”) and a distorted spoken section thrown in for good measure. The track represents everything a Sade fan looks for in one of her songs. Then again, for all its musical uniqueness, gentle experimentation and stylistic maturity, “Lovers Rock” represents everything a Sade fan looks for in one of her albums. She’s still a smooth operator indeed.

Review by :

Nobody makes pain feel as good as Sade. Since her 1984 debut, the oh so sensual chanteuse Sade Adu and her moody groovers Stuart Matthewman (on guitar and sax), Andrew Hale (keyboards) and Paul Spencer Denman (bass) have made a successful career out of their exotic, down-tempo odes to love and loss. In the eight years since they released their last studio album, Love Deluxe, Sade has, if anything, gotten sultrier. And with today’s marketplace dominated by hyperperky teen pop, she returns as the Anti-Britney. (sorry Brit)With a sound that’s strikingly real for these digitized times, Lovers Rock doesn’t look only at the rocky side of romance. The disc-opening single, “By Your Side,” with its arrangement laying bare, a simple yet poignant lyric, is positively uplifting. Even such sad songs as “King of Sorrow,” “Somebody Already Broke My Heart” and the achingly beautiful ballad “It’s Only Love That Gets You Through” attest to the adage that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And with Sade, the melancholy makes for some mesmerizing music.

Review by Gary F. Taylor:

There has never been a singer quite like Sade Adu. Although she is of Nigerian origin, and her voice is clearly that of a woman of color, she is equally influenced by her English upbringing; the resulting combination of African heat and British coolness, particularly when combined with her band’s elegant mixture of both American and European jazz idioms, is as original today as when it first appeared. Superficially cool and seemingly detached, everything about the band simmers with an underlying passion.While Adu and her band (collectively known as Sade) have done many memorable recordings since they debuted, DIAMOND LIFE remains their single finest recording: it is pure liquid elegance every step of the way. Opening with “Smooth Operator,” which makes particularly good use of Stuart Matthewman on sax, the entire collection flows effortlessly from cut to cut–some dark, some slightly dissonate, some slightly upbeat, and every one of them memorable in the most haunting way imaginable.Like “Smooth Operator,” both “Your Love Is King” and “Hang on to Your Love” actually broke into the charts as singles–a truly amazing feat for a jazz-oriented club band in the ultra-synthetic 1980s. But in truth, be it “Cherry Pie,” “When Am I Gonna Make A Living,” or “Sally,” there isn’t a bad cut on the entire CD. Everything shimmers with a sultry yet subtle beauty, pulling you into an atmosphere in which you seem to feel the pulse of a midnight lounge, the atmosphere of the club scene fromw which Sade emerged.As a band, Sade is sexy, cool, smart, delicately shaded, and brilliantly shaped, and the aptly titled DIAMOND LIFE is perhaps one of the best debut recordings made over the past fifty years. Mix yourself a drink, turn the lights down low, drop it on the stereo, and dream of smoke, the clink of cocktail glasses, and the murmur of voices gone suddenly silent when the band begins to play. Strongly recommended.GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Review by Neal C. Reynolds:

Sade Adu and her group are unique in their smooth, but always rythmic style, with the jazz interplay, with the Nigerian beat that puts this in a place of their own in pop music.There’s a rythym, a plan, to this debut CD, a placing of four of the best songs at the very forefront: The signature “Smooth Operator”, the more intimate “Your Love Is King”, the relaxed yet playful and inviting “Hang On To Your Love” in which the instrumentalists have a stronger voice and effect on the cut, “Frankie’s First Affair” which seems to me a nod to legendary standard favorite “Frankie and Johnny” (strictly my impression). The next song, “When Am I Going to Make A Living”, seems weaker to me, but provides a little balance after the strong opening group. “Cherry Pie” and “Sally” bring us back up, maybe not to the peak of the opening four, but “Cherry Pie” especially is exciting, and “Sally” pretty well keeps us going. “I Will Be Your Friend” and “Why Can’t We Live Together” round out the CD, and seem to me more run of the mill, but still suitable to relax, listen to, and enjoy. My enjoyment of Sade comes from the fact that she actually sings without loud, overly dramatic emoting, and the softer moments of her songs have us listening attentively, in her spell. Those who prefer the loud and the brassy won’t likely enjoy it, but if you appreciate melody, harmony, some good jazz, and a spicy African beat, I honestly think you will want this CD.

Review by :

An AWESOME concert! Sade is beautiful and commands the viewer to watch every move she makes. Now I know why the audience on the live CD sounds like they’re going crazy. TAKE A LOOK!
There are wonderful DVD exclusives.-Backstage footage, a music video type documentary cut to a remix of “By Your Side”. It’s a real nice thing to see the band have unity & love beyond the stage.-Message to Sade, a real hilarious look at Sade fans directed by the Polish Brothers. Sade should come out more often. These people are NUTS! It’s a great piece to have on a DVD because it shows how Sade affects her fans & how sincere her fans are. -B&W photographs, I wish there were more! They should have made a music video with these stills. -King of Sorrow Video, sexy-sexy-sexy. The best Sade video from Sophie Muller. This alone is worth the DVD.SADE LOVERS LIVE is a truly a wonderful DVD, Sade embraces her fans and delivers a concert of honesty and respect.

Review by J. Lizzi:

Sade is as enchanting as ever in this excellent follow-up to the first concert DVD (“Sade Live”). This performance, which was filmed in September of 2001 at two SoCal venues, proves that after eight years, the attraction of Sade herself is just as strong as her music.At just under two hours, you get a comprehensive show: 22 songs, with ten from the latest “Lovers Rock” CD. The remaining twelve are all favorite hits from Sade’s previous four albums. Sound-wise, everything sounds great, and you can select from either stereo or 5.1 Surround Sound to suit your tastes. The band plays really tight, and there are some nice surprises, such as a cool intro to “Sweetest Taboo” and a funky/rock version of “Paradise” (check out the choreography).Visually, you see lots of Sade (a good thing), yet the camera time spent on her and the rest of the band is fairly balanced. I loved the editing since I was watching what I wanted to see pretty much most of the time. The lighting for this tour is somewhat more interesting than the last, and the use of the video screen in back of the stage adds some pizzazz, especially the film of water dropping in synch with key accented beats in “Somebody Already Broke My Heart.” The camera work and editing are superb. Even the credit track is awesome, with some really touching footage of the audience.DVD Extras: 1) behind-the-scenes video (pretty funny) of the band members dancing and mugging for the camera; 2) Sade, behind-the-scenes; 3) concertgoers’ “messages to Sade”; and 4) excellent “King of Sorrow” video, directed by Sophie Muller and filmed in Puerto Rico.

Review by J. Lund:

Recently Sade ended their seven-year hiatus with the fine year 2000 LOVER’S ROCK album, which is musically so-close-yet-so-far from their 1984-1993 recordings. SADE LIVE (recorded in San Diego, October 1993) closes the book on the first decade of their/her musical career, presenting live versions of eighteen songs culled from the first four albums. Obviously this is a must-have for fans, but anybody who wants to hear these memorable songs again periodically should be happy with either this collection and/or the simultaneously-issued videoclip compilation (LIFE PROMISE PRIDE LOVE). All of the hits are here, plus a few choice album tracks. The remastered 5.1 sound is excellent on this DVD release, capturing their live sound with clarity and fullness. The DVD has a few minor extras besides the surround sound, such as chapter access, a discography, a brief biography (basically a press release for LOVER’S ROCK), and offering the option to display lyrics karaoke-style on the screen in several languages.For the most part, the group sticks closely to the original studio versions in these performances, although occasionally the group’s subtle jazz touches become more overt (particularly on SMOOTH OPERATOR). Mostly though, vocalist Sade Adu is in the forefront, singing with a quiet fire and at times physically moving within the flow of the music. Never demonstrative either vocally or in her stage mannerisms, she nonetheless is a captivating presence both to hear and to look at, and her voice is in top form throughout this concert.

Review by J. Lizzi:

I was impressed when I saw this concert aired on PBS in the mid-90′s, and I’m even more impressed with the DVD. In terms of live performance discs, this one is at the top of my list.Touring in support of her fourth album, “Love Deluxe,” Sade was in top form for this October 1993 concert, recorded at the San Diego University Open Air Theatre. On-screen, she looks fantastic and sounds even better (that voice!). Her persona is at-once confident yet reserved, appreciative, carefree and even demurely sexy at times. Her band members play really tight and show off their talent by taking up a variety of instruments. [Note: Rick Braun on trumpet; one of my favorite jazz artists]. The seventeen songs are divided fairly well between old and new (at the time), with ten being from the latter two albums “Stronger Than Pride” and “Love Deluxe.” I can think of a couple more earlier hits I would have liked to hear, but tours need to highlight the most recent work, so I’m okay with that.Visually, I can’t say enough good things about this disc. With Sade, the attraction has to be the singer, and I’m glad that the film crew kept that in mind, while spending no time at all on the audience (not the case with so many concerts-for-TV spectacles these days), yet still giving the band its due during some nice solos and instrumental flourishes. In fact, the camera always seemed to be focused right where I wanted to look. Big thumbs up in that regard.Even though there’s a lack of interactive features, I don’t care: it’s the concert that counts. I’d recommend this DVD to anyone, whether you’re a Sade fan or not.

Review by David Mandau:

This amazing collection covers all phases of the Pretty Things’ overlooked (in the US) career: from raw R&B to garage to psych to hard rock, it’s all here. If you love the Stones, Kinks, Them, and Small Faces and want to explore raw British rock even further, then this collection is essential! Get it now!

Review by David Mandau:

The Pretty Things never had much impact in the States, but they were huge in the UK. Before getting this CD, I only knew a couple of songs from comps. This set really delivers the goods, though. In their early R&B phase, they outrocked the early Stones. Seriously. As they moved into psychedelia, they stayed away from the dippy sentiments that plagued acts like the Hollies, coming across more like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. This CD covers both eras well, and even goes into their ’70s hard rock phase, when they recorded for Zeppelin’s Swan Song label. If you’re a fan of British Invasion rock or garage rock of any era, you’ll love the Pretty Things.

Review by W. T. Hoffman:

Well, how to explain my addiction to you, dear reader. First, i love 60s psychedelic music, tho I’m not from that era. Second, I like to dig deep, into the obscure bands. I had heard of THE PRETTY THINGS for a long time, before i finally started to explore them, first with their EMOTIONS album. (Not a good place to start.) Then, I bought the SF SORROW CD. I got it, played it, and wasnt sure i liked it. I wasnt in the “RIGHT FRAME OF MIND”. Actually, this is an album that DEMANDS more attention from listeners, and also from the critics, than it receives. IT was the influence for TOMMY, according to Pete. Personally, i find all kinds of obvious reference points, between this album, and TOMMY. Both are named after the one character, both operas are Epic, and start at birth, end at death. Both rely on a mysterious evil person (BARON SATURDAY, verses ACID QUEEN) to screw up the protagonists’ head. In any event, i would have loved to have heard what might have happened if this story had been stretch out over two LPs. But, for what this is, the one LP is enough. As you listen to this CD a few times, some songs just STICK inside you. BALLOON BURNING is a great one for that, espeically the psychedelic freak out guitar playing, when the Hindenberg is burning. There are some songs, after S.F.SORROW has his run in with BARON SATURDAY, who seems to have blown his mind with drugs, and forcing him into the WELL OF DESTINY. At the opera’s end, with S.F.SORROW having lost the love of his life, and with his mind confused, he becomes a total hermit. In his old age, the song that just wraps this concept peice together, is the breathtakingly beautiful song TRUST. Check out these lyrics “AND THERES NO SORROW LEFT IN THE WORLD THATS LEFT TO TRUST”. Apparently, after his birth, service in World War ONE, and the tragic death of his young fiancee, the mind trips of BARON SATURDAY, and so on, SF SORROW has desided to become the LONELIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD. After the heavy production values of the opera, to end it with the isolation of a MAN and his GUITAR, singing of total isolation, works musically and theatrically. I can completely picture this OPERA on Stage. In fact, the Boston Rock Opera Company has preformed it on stage.

The CD comes with two SINGLES worth of great psychedelic music, and a wonderful booklet with all the lyrics, the connecting storyline, and a long essay about the backstory to the writing of the peice, and the history of the Band. After all, this CD was recorded at ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS, with the same people, and the same know-how, at the same time ABBEY ROAD STUDIO was recording PIPERS AT THE GATES OF DAWN, and MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. Let me say this: if you enjoy the Pink Floyd/Beatles type of “psychedelic sound”, then you’ll like the way the production is handled on SF SORROW. My only critism, is that the CD is MONO. Apparently, you can get the STEREO version, if you buy the 2CD set, with the CONTEMPORARY COMPLETE PREFORMANCE of the entire Opera, along with the narration voiced in. I read that the stereo version is plagued with sloppy stereo seperation. I have not found listening to this in MONO to diminish my appreciation of the work. In fact, as far as “DATED” psychedelic sounds, at least this album in MONO doesnt have the sound swirling between speakers, or any of those placement tricks, that DO sound dated, with todays audience. So, the effect of the heavy psychedelic sections, are more that of OVERLOAD, like the Velvet Underground with WHITE LITE, which doesnt rely on stereo games, for most of the songs. Rather than sitars, wah-wah guitar solos bouncing back and forth between the speakers, etc, you have the essence of the MUSIC, sparking the colors.

So, What does this sound like? Dont go by the earlier PRETTY THINGS sound, cos for one thing, they had changed a few major members of the group, before this LP. EMOTIONS, altho attempting psychedelia, was overdubbed against the bands wishes with tons of strings. And, the early R&B sound, isnt present on this album at all. Maybe because it DOESNT Sound just like anyone else, is why I am able to listen to this album over and over, and get so into it. THE PRETTY THINGS were never major movers and shakers in the UK psychedelic sound, but for some people, this ALBUM is up there with SGT PEPPER and PIPER AT THE GATE OF DAWN. So, I recommend just buying it. This opera might take a couple of times to get under your skin. I do think that there is enough here, to make it a worthwild investigation for anyone into the psychedelic sound, or perhaps the growth and developement of the Concept album- Rock opera.

Review by Derek Jemsen:

One of the great classics of the era,though unfortunatly not as well known as some other of their contemperaries,this is a definate must hear to any fan of early Pink Floyd or similar bands,as one reviewer stated above this is so completly different to their earlier R & B matriel it’s almost sounds like a completly different band (eaqually great though!)
As for the sound this is the version to get,the stereo remaster is far better than either the mono remaster or the original Edsel issue,the sound jumps out at you and swirls around and is so much more revealing than earlier issues of this that it ads a whole new psychedelic level to this gem

Review by t’amant:

Like many Americans in the 70′s, I somehow never got a good listen to this one (fifth album, recorded at Abby Road studios) back then, but I had seen it before in others record collections (especially when I was in Europe). On the inner cover the inscription reads: “The only Rolling Stone Album of the Year never to sell a million – typical!”. How the #$^* did that happen? It is easy to just figure that if it wasn’t more popular, there must be a reason … DON’T MAKE THAT MISTAKE! This is a lost classic!! The lack of sales was a case of badly handled promotion (Motown Rare Earth) and publicity … at least in America, to our detriment! I’m listening to it AGAIN now (it has been like afternoon tea these days), I just don’t get sick of it at all and regularly jam to it on guitar, bass & drums. Yes, I’m a sucker for these old-school acid-rock albums … they really inspire me for some reason. The artwork and additions are great as well!

For starters, the package on this limited addition import remaster is top

shelf – they really pulled out the stops to give this band and album the

classy presentation they deserve. The original lyrics are included with

many cool pictures (promotional and album art) and a long essay with band

history, thoughts and remembrances. A track by track explanation is added as well, although formal notes would have been helpful for the complete picture.

There is something represented about what I love from the era in just about all of the songs, although it is hard to describe – Kind of an emotional, not intellectual basis in most cases. The songs go all over the place and play on many an emotion, which makes sense considering the disconnected 1970′s were just beginning and the intense, idealistic psychedelic 60′s were fading fast. That is part of the key – Buffalo Springfield, The Dead, J.Airplane, Moody Blues, Beatles & The Byrds (and many others) seem to have been an influence from the 60′s, but there is a walloping dose of a Deep Purplish, Zeppelin, Doors, Floyd, early Chicago & Cream (even Hendrix) feel often too (among others) bringing an underlying heavyish feel. Yes, Parachute is kind of the best of both worlds in a way … one of those rare albums! Picture it (cover): Love, Peace and mellow thoughts cruising in the ’69 Z-28 down the highway with your girlfriend snuggling up close after 2001 Space Odyssey, but anxious to get back to the Marshall amp, Strat & Crybaby (and the latest colorful import – Yes this IS stoner music).

Musicianship shines all over Parachute too! Skip Alan’s muscular drum

intro (took over from prior drummer Twink) kicks everything off nicely, you get a sense that you just might be in for a treat. New 18 year old

guitarist Peter Tolson just joined the band and provides the bad-ass,

explosive guitar riffs and chunky chords throughout (often through a

Leslie). This formation of the band has great chemistry and form a

short-lived but excellent combo (with Wally, Phil and Jon). The vocal

harmonies are usually very good and the older members provide a Pretty

Things core formation on the melodic/harmonic side (great bass on here

too). A few eclectic instruments are heard here and there with no notes as to who performed on them.

I hesitate getting into which song I like for whichever reason – There are 13 songs on the original album, most outstanding examples of trippy rock (Mr.Square/She Was Tall, In The Square, Rain, Midnight Circus, Grass, She’s a Lover and the Parachute fade are favorites so far). Six GREAT extras are included: Blue Serge Blues is a first rate song making fun of the British police’s hippie busting (sounds a bit like the Airplane), if these are throwaways …? October 26 about the presumably about the Russian revolution but winking at the 60′s revolutionaries in general – There are some nice biting and sharp guitar wah leads flowing through the languid atmosphere of the song. Cold Stone is a head slammer 70′s anthem style: “This world is just cold stoned” … presaging many a 70′s blues rock band (think Humble Pie). Stonehearted Momma “really make it hard on me” is the classic rock ‘n’ roll male lament with some totally

pulsating heavy guitar power chords and doubled guitar talkbox/echo eads -

OH YES, no holds are barred with this band! Summer Time is a Youngbloods/Allman’s sounding happy-go-lucky rollicking jam that is charming as that tulip on the cover (close your eyes and your there, sun on your face). Circus Mind is a nice closer for this extended version – a parable for the whole scene, I can relate … go ahead and take his hand (cover). A little over 63 minutes of head-swimming fun, TURN IT UP AND ENJOY OFTEN!

Review by E. Joy:

This was released in 1970 when I was really deep into music and how I missed this is a big unanswered question. I had been exposed to The Pretty Things early on during their R&B period and while I enjoyed those records, I guess I lost track. But I bought this CD several months ago and haven’t stopped listening since. In fact I’ve revised my list of the my 100 favorite albums to place this at #17, right behind Captain Beyond’s first album. This is a really terrific record that you should not miss.

Review by :

If you’ve heard the R&B stylings of the Rolling Stones during their early years and love that, you ain’t never heard the Pretty Things! Rawer and dirtier than the Rolling Stones, the Pretty Things basically played punk blues. Their first album is a classic which is chock full of great tunes like “Roadrunner”, “13 Chester Street”, “Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut”, and “Rosalyn”. The music is heavily indebted to Bo Diddley in contrast to the Stones which was more Chuck Berryish. The Pretties even managed to write a few original tunes on the album but their covers hold up remarkably well. The CD reissue on the Snapper label compiles the original debut album plus some single sides and unreleased tracks as well as CD-ROM data. If you like raw and dirty R&B and the Stones are too pussy for you, try the Pretty Things.

Review by XaurreauX:

I first saw The Pretty Things on one of the “Shindig” TV shows originating from Los Angeles in 1965. The other acts looked hip and mod; The Pretty Things looked like trouble. They went on to be virtually unnoticed in the U.S. and so they remained until the recent rebirth of interest in the band.I acquired this album on vinyl because a friend of mine was going away to school and he wanted some extra cash so he sold this along with several other albums (including the one and only album by the now classic-and-revered proto-garage band, The Syndicate of Sound) for 50 cents each! The album had a 1/2″ crack in it, but in those days you could set the edges together and the disk would still play reasonably well.I have gotten many hours of enjoyment from this and later the follow-up second album. Their sound was as raw and raucus as their lives, The Pretty Things being everything the Stones pretended to be. I heard a rumor that they were banned from an entire continent–probably not true, but it reflects their well-earned reputation at the time. Small example: one of their songs contains the line “…if you’re underage, I just don’t care…” I rest my case.I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who wants blistering, smoking blues and R&B as it was done by one of the seminal British blues bands of 1964 and to see the groundwork that was laid for those to follow. Don’t forget to turn up the volume.

Review by Kim Fletcher:

Formed in the later stages of 1963, the Pretty Things arrived on the Londoner scene playing Berry/Diddley/Reed influenced raw rhythm and blues. The driving force behind the ‘Pretties’ were vocalist Brian May and Dick Taylor. (Taylor had left a version of the embryonic Rolling Stones with Brian Jones, Keith Richards, and Mick Jagger because the three wanted him to play bass guitar while he was born to play lead guitar.)

The Pretty Things were contemporaries of ‘The Rolling Stones’ and ‘The Kinks’. Of course there was also that little band with that funny name from Liverpool, the Beatles. This dog always had a soft spot for the `Pretties’ as the Beatles were a little bit goody two shoes to be considered cool. I mean your parents liked them! The Rolling Stones were great, but always seemed to want to be Americans, denying their Dartford, Kent roots, and the Kinks could get a little whimsical at times.

The ‘Pretties’ had no image; music was their thing and hard edged rhythm and blues was the starting point. Their first seven singles all went top 50 in the U.K. (they did not mean a light in the U.S. of A., no image, nothing to promote). The sight of the `Pretties’ standing on Top of the Pops, trying to hide their embarrassment as they mimed their way through their latest single, was a wonder to behold. Unlike most of their contemporaries their lineup was quite liquid, revolving around the main duo, the drum seat, revolving faster than Spinal Tap’s.

In the late sixties the Pretty Things plunged head first, along with everybody else, into the psychedelic culture. Gone was all the straight ahead music and in came sitars, thousands of overdubs on all guitar parts, and kaftans and beads. Although huge on the underground scene, this did not exactly get the till bells ringing over, and in a state of confusion Dick Taylor left the band to settle down into production work. Away from the chaos of life on the road, Taylor produced the first albums from Hawkwind and Cochise.

Taylor was quickly replaced in the band, which imploded within the year.

But famous rocking’s roll manager Bill Shepherd, upon hearing of the ‘Pretties’ demise, tried to persuade them to reform, telling them that the `Pretties’ were too good a band to lose. How right he was. With a new dual lead guitar partnership in place, the mercurial Peter Tolson and Gordon Edwards, they were ready to roar again. After six weeks rehearsal they went into the studio to record the seminal ‘Freeway Madness’. The `Pretties’ had now put the entire wishy-washy psychedelic behind them and come back with a new hard-edged sound, combining their love of American harmony vocals and crunchy guitar licks with screaming solos.

This gained them enough attention to get them to be the first signing to the newly formed Swansong label, the brainchild of Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant. Two wonderful albums were released over the next two years, but, although critically acknowledged, both failed to dent the charts. Once more the band fell apart in 1976, when Phil May decided enough was enough.

The band came together again in the late nineties, including old running mate Dick Taylor on lead guitar, and in 1999 they released ‘Rage Before Beauty’, an apt title if you consider what had gone before. The band still plays gigs to this day.

This collection of work from the B.B.C. Sessions gives you an overall view of the ‘Pretties’ career from 1964 to 1976. All the early singles are here. (The Pretty Things had a surge of popularity stateside when David Bowie covered their first two singles ‘Rosalyn’ and ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ on his album Pin Ups. To many Americans this was the first time they ever heard of the ‘Pretty Things’.)

It all goes a bit pear shaped in their psychedelic era, but then it did for a lot of people (remember the Stones? Or Their Satanic Majesties Request?), but on their return to hard edged rock ‘n’ roll, like on the Radio One ‘In Concert’ show to promote ‘Freeway Madness’, the band is so hot, it is incendiary. Nobody can throw caution to the wind with such abandon and still nail a song down like the ‘Pretties’ like ‘Onion Soup’ and especially ‘Route 66′. The live sessions for the following two albums are a little more controlled, but equally as exciting.

This album is not only a good overview of the Pretty Things’ career, but also a good overview of British rock in this era. If you are not familiar with the Pretty Things, this album would be an excellent way to find out.

Mott the Dog

Review by Laurence Upton:

The Pretty Things were no strangers to the various converted theatres, cinemas and hotels that made up the suite of studios in which the BBC recorded radio light entertainment shows, gardening forums, dance hall orchestras and rock bands.

In fact the earliest session here dates from October 1964, which coincides with the release of only their second single, Don’t Bring Me Down. The five track session is included in full and includes Don’t Bring Me Down, Big Boss Man (which had been the B-side of the first single) and R&B selections from their future first album, Pretty Things, including two by Bo Diddley, from whose song Pretty Thing the band took their name. On the two singles session drummers had been employed, so here is a chance to hear the tunes performed exclusively by the band.

It isn’t clear how many sessions and concert appearances the band made between 1964 and 1976 when the band were mothballed for quite a while, but sixteen are drawn from on these two discs. In the sixties these were taken from Saturday Club and John Peel’s Top Gear programme, but in the seventies they are drawn from various presenters’ shows, including David Symonds, Alan Black, Mike Harding and John Peel. Broadcast dates are given, but further details such as recording dates, line-ups and studio locations are skimpy at best.

There are two recordings of their minor 1966 hit Midnight To Six Man, one for a TV show (in very poor sound), the other far better performance from Saturday Club, and, like the single, featuring the tinkling ivories of session pianist Nicky Hopkins. After this came a swift change of direction, when like a lot of bands, they temporarily ditched soul and R&B and fully embraced psychedelia. In the case of the Pretties this included sitar-soaked pieces such as Defecting Grey and Turn My Head (a song that never got a commercial release), and then the full blown and highly influential mini-opera S.F. Sorrow, from which all of their 1968 session for Top Gear was drawn.

The Pretty Things were in a constant state of flux with frequent changes in line-up and neither of the two songs included from their 1969 session made it onto a record either. By 1970 even founder-guitarist Dick Taylor had left the band leaving only original vocalist and songwriter Phil May from the line-up that had recorded Rosalyn, their first single from 1964, though Dick Taylor did make a guest appearance on their 1972 re-visit to the song for Top Gear. Nevertheless, the Parachute album material and the various tracks from singles that make up what they recorded for the BBC on the rest of the first disc show a lively, focused, inventive band very much on top of their live performances, with the new members clearly being allowed full creative input.

Disc One’s final track and the first four songs on Disc Two all come from the same concert, recorded in stereo on 9 August 1973 at the Golders Green Hippodrome, for the In Concert programme, introduced by Pete Drummond. Indeed, at a approximately half-an-hour it probably represents the full segment of the Pretty Thing’s part of the hour long show, and includes an uncredited performance of Onion Soup/Another Bowl. Most of this featured on their album Freeway Madness, though also included is their cover of Route 66, a song also covered by the Rolling Stones, a group with which the Pretties were often compared in the early days, especially since Dick Taylor had been a member of an early version of that band before they were signed. Onion Soup and Route 66 also featured on a studio session for Bob Harris’s Sounds Of The Seventies recorded a fortnight later, and on which they previewed Atlanta, which was to figure on their album Silk Torpedo in 1975.

Two sessions for John Peel recorded at Maida Vale (and not for In Concert or in front of an audience as stated in the booklet notes) in December 1974 and July 1975 conclude the second disc. They mainly again draw from Silk Torpedo, though there are two surprises. The first is an unlikely version of Dudley Moore’s instrumental theme tune for the series Not Only But Also, probably led by recent keyboard recruit Gordon Edwards, and the other is a stomping return to Big City, a song written by their manager Jimmy Duncan from their eponymous first album of a decade earlier, Pretty Things.

It is fascinating to retrace the rocky road travelled by the band over this eventful decade in these unique and valuable recordings. Some of them come from transcription discs made for World Service broadcasts, without which many of these and other priceless sessions by other bands and artists would not have survived at all. How much more of their BBC work has survived isn’t known though there are hints in the booklet that there may be more to come on further releases, which I for one will be keen to explore.

Review by G. E. Dunster:

As someone who grew up in London in the sixties and seventies and who now lives in New Zealand this was a must buy. Plus I’ve been a long time fan of the Pretty Things ever since I picked up a mint copy of their original Fontana lp (from Shoppertunities in Holborn) in the early seventies. The photographs are illuminating (there is some repetiton but this is not a problem) and the text is both informative and entertaining. NZ even now in 2006 has its retro qualities but not to the degree that existed in the sixties. My first visit in 1977 helps me accept the introverted nature of the culture there in previous years as shown in this book. If you’re a Pretty Things fan then this is essential for your life. If you’re not then try their 60s recordings and then read this – it’s a distillation of the progress of rock from its black American roots to its current situation and thus is applicable many times over everywhere in the western world.

Review by Lenny Helsing:

If you are a fan of The Pretty Things already then you will want this tidy magazine-style book revealing all about the group’s momentous 1965 tour of New Zealand with Sandie Shaw. Even if you are not a fan of The Pretty Things (why not I wonder?), I’m sure after reading this revelatory account, you will be rushing to your nearest record emporium to snap up as many of the group’s platters as you can afford or can carry home. Yes, it’s true, this is the most revealing account of a group on tour in the early days of rock-group-goes-on-the-road as you could hope to ever imagine in your wildest dreams. If you’ve ever wondered what the source, or origin was for all these excessive hotel trashing, tv throwing, vomit-stained tales of hard rockin’ & hard livin’ pop groups on tour…THIS IS IT! If you are of a nervous disposition, or get queasy easy, then please do take care turning the pages. This is a unique, one-off publication of a totally one-off, unique rock group’s tour – actually not much more a couple of weeks at the most, told by the participants, and put together by a intensely dedicated team of passionate experts…this is the last word on that fateful Pretty Things visit to New Zealand in the late summer of 1965, with all the words, pictures, tall tales, truths, half-truths, lies all brought forth into the light for the first time ever. Yeah. BUY IT NOW…before it disappears – Lenny Helsing (The Thanes) Scotland UK

Review by Laurence Upton:

The good cop/bad cop image that the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had in the 1960s may have been a tad contrived. The Beatles weren’t the clean cut lads they might have seemed and the Stones certainly played up to the Bad Boys Of Pop reputation they had that oiled the publicity machine so well. They had risen from a pool of bands playing blues and Bo Diddley covers, bands like the Downliners Sect, the Cops ‘n’ Robbers, the Bo Street Runners and the Pretty Things.

When it came to bad publicity, the Pretty Things had it in spades, and were rarely out of the headlines for their rock ‘n’ roll crimes. They were badder than the others and their music was rawer, wilder, bluesier and more crudely recorded. Most of them shared a house and lived the rock lifestyle of excess to the full.

Their second album, Get The Picture?, came out only a few months after their self-titled debut, and showed a laudable unwillingness to compromise, though it also showed they had not stood still musically in the intervening months of grueling round-world touring (they seemed to have left the drummer behind in New Zealand) as there was now a light and shade to the group sound and signs of experimentation.

It also featured more of their own material, which included not only ravers like Buzz The Jerk, but also lighter folk-influenced songs like London Town and the excellent Can’t Stand The Pain, on which Dick Taylor’s guitar stands out. The covers include a great rough and ready rendition of Slim Harpo’s Rainin’ In My Heart, Ray Charles’ version of I Had A Dream and the Cops ‘n’ Robbers’ own But You’ll Never Do It Babe. Their hit version of Cry To Me, written by Bert Berns for Betty Harris but best known at the time in Solomon Burke’s cover is also featured. The Stones had recorded the song around the same time for Out Of Our Heads, so a direct comparison can be made.

This reissue has been given the re-master treatment, and now includes all the extra tracks added to the contemporary EPs Rainin’ In My Heart and The Pretty Things On Film, plus the raw soul power 1966 single Come See Me, adapted from the northern soul version by JJ Jackson.

The Pretty Things On Film featured 4 songs from the soundtrack of LSD, a Chaplinesque short directed by Caterina Arvat and Anthony West, described on the EP sleeve as “sixteen minutes of chase, laughter and many brilliant club scenes”, and included their all-stops-out recent classic single Midnight To Six Man (“he might be gone first but is he going anywhere?”), recorded apparently between midnight and six at IBC Studios, and featuring the tinkling piano of Nicky Hopkins and Margo from Goldie and the Gingerbreads on organ. It stalled surprisingly at number 46 in the UK charts but was included on Nuggets II.

If you want one Pretty Things album in your collection, this is probably the one to go for

Review by Pop Kulcher:

Pop Kulcher Review: While the Kinks may be better known for their early string of singles (“All Day & All of the Night,” etc.) and classic rock hits (“Lola,” etc.), some of their most timeless music was the quiet, gentle, and lesser-known stuff from ’68-’72, when Ray Davies did some truly original character-based songwriting, and the band traded in their simple riff-rockers for more melodic, moving music. On Village Green Preservation Society, the band nearly gave up rock completely, coming up with a primarily acoustic set of songs, each of which is a character sketch of an inhabitant in a fictional, pastoral English village (reminiscent of the poetry collection Spoon River Anthology). The album is sweet and charming, and hard to believe it came from the same guys as “You Really Got Me.” Not that this isn’t poppy — the title song is pretty catchy, as are tracks like “Do You Remember Walter,” “Picture Book,” and “Johnny Thunder” — but it’s much more subtle, with Davies having enough faith in his lyrics to let them stand up without a fail-safe guitar crunch in the background.

Review by Robert Moore:

Following the release of SGT. PEPPER’S by the Beatles, it appears that almost every other band in the sixties and early seventies was inspired to do likewise. The Kinks’s Ray Davies response in 1968 was seemingly to take Paul McCartney’s “When I’m 64″ and build an entire album around that song’s nostalgia. Although the Kinks had been in one sense the first hard rock band due to the first use of distortion in any rock song in “You’ve Really Got Me” (whether the guitar was played by session guitarist Jimmy Page as many maintain or Dave Davies as Dave and Ray-not always Dave’s most enthusiastic defender, which makes his insistence on this issue more believable-claim may never be definitively settled), but the truth is that they moved over the next few years more and more from the distortion and further and further towards a pop sound. A decidedly pop album with nostalgia as the driving concept would hardly seem to be the recipe for success. If one defines success exclusively in record sales, then THE KINKS ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY was a decided failure, registering the poorest sales of any of their albums to date, but on critical grounds it is in the opinion of many the finest album they ever released.

The sales failure of VILLAGE GREEN partly lies in the fact that the Kinks could not for some undiscovered reason obtain visas to tour the United States during several years in the sixties. As a result, they could release albums in the U.S., but they couldn’t tour to support them. VILLAGE GREEN was one of the last albums they released before the ban was lifted and the album’s failure in the states definitely hurt. But it is also the most English of all of their albums (with the possible exception of ARTHUR). And with people singing songs about the dawning of the age of Aquarius, an album that sang of old fashioned steam engines and village greens and taking pictures at family outings did not feed into the political and social outrage in much contemporary music.

Today, one can’t help but being struck how superb the set of songs on this album are. Ray Davies is a brilliant pop song writer, but the truth is that the Kinks always functioned better as a singles band than an album band. In fact, apart from SOMETHING ELSE, FACE TO FACE, and VILLAGE GREEN, I would recommend the people experience them as a whole through anthologies rather than original albums. But that aside, these are great songs. The title track, “Johnny Thunder,” “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains,” “Animal Farm,” “Starstruck,” and “Phenomenal Cat” are all pop masterpieces. The problem is that apart from “Starstruck” they all need the context of the rest of the album to make much sense. There are no ideal singles on the album. But when you put the disc on and listen to it from first to last, you can’t help but be struck at how splendid it is as a whole. Furthermore, the album contains an amazingly wide range of instrumentation, Ray Davies, who also produced the album, employing strings and horns to great effect, throwing in the occasional harpsichord, tossing in a flute on “Phenomenal Cat.”

This remains one of the great undiscovered rock masterpieces of the late sixties. Ray Davies, one of the great songwriters in the history of rock, was at his absolute best on this album, not only writing a group of stunning songs but creating some of the most unique arrangements of the era. Anyone who loves rock music has to have a few Kinks discs, and this definitely should be one of them.

Review by Gianmarco Manzione:

Customer reviews are certainly no place for bickering and personalized debate, but I really must dispute the astounding assertions of a few reviews below. There can be no question that this album serves as both a fantastic starting place for novices as well as one of the top 20 rock albums of all time. Never mind the defining single, “Lola.” This album also features the fullest sound The Kinks yet achieved with blistering rockers like Dave’s “Rats” or Ray’s “Top of the Pops” and “Powerman.” It is also the band’s most varied album; one of the rare moments at which both Dave and Ray were at the top of their games as songwriters and musicians. Equally as engaging as the rockers are Dave’s enchantingly fragile “Strangers” — the best song he ever wrote — and Ray’s striking and forgotten piano ballad, “A Long Way From Home” or the slightly more aggressive “Get Back Into The Line.” “Lola Versus Powerman and the Money-go-Round” is the one Kinks album that comprises every aspect of the band’s well-deserved reputation: both the rough edges and the gentle heart, the ability of Dave to write with just as much poignancy as his prolific older brother, and Ray’s knack for writing an album whose music is not compromised by its focus on a linear narrative. “Schoolboys in Disgrace” and the Preservation Act albums would demonstrate just how delicate a line Ray toted when he gave in to his artistic craving for plot rock: the albums betrayed musicianship in favor of the characters and stories it adorned. But “Lola . . .” and the equally intense “Muswell Hillbillies” extended the unique accomplishments of prior concept albums, “Village Green” and “Arthur.” This 1970 landmark is every bit the rock ‘n roll destination that so many critics and mature listeners claim it is, and suggestions to the contrary derive only from those who weren’t there or fail to connect with the distinctly literary rock Ray and Dave cranked out over the decades.

Review by :

When Ray Davies decided to write albums (starting with Face to Face), the Kinks began a run of amazing albums that ended with this album (Muswell Hillbillies was good, but didn’t hold a candle to this). As a “concept” album, there’s none better, but, forget the concept and just appreciate some of the finest songwriting you’re ever likely to hear. Great melodies, great themes, humor, pathos, love…Davies proves his mastery of the art of songwriting. It’s useless to compare these guys to anyone else – they are so totally unique. Sure, its got Lola, simply one of the coolest songs ever written, but that’s only a teaser. A Long Way From Home, Strangers, This Time Tomorrow, etc., are poignant, wonderful songs. If you want love songs, you’ll need to look elsewhere. These songs concern themselves with the hypocracy of the music business and the travel, pressure and lonliness that goes with it. Never has been a more poignant commentary, and probably more true today than then.It’s also worth noting that this Ray Davies produced album is sonically very fine, and the band is never tighter.I don’t know how anyone could really expect more from a pop album than this one delivers.

Review by David Kinney:

This recording was, and is still, the Kink’s finest hour. Composed by Ray Davies as the score for a 1969 British TV series that never got off the ground, it, in it’s own humble way ushered in a spate of lesser concept albums. It is neither a rock opera, nor a portentious retelling of the history of England. Rather, it’s a collection of postcard perfect scenes of everyday life in the suburbs of post-war England. Yawn,right? Wait a minute, this thing rocks harder than the Kinks had in 5 years! As critic John Mendelsohn points out in the original liner notes, “…there’s not a song in the lot, start they with harpsichords or slow military drums, that ends up anything less than great bopping rock.” Ray Davies never quite matched this tiumph, though the Kinks’ most successful years were still ahead of them. And what about the content? Well ‘Victoria’,'Drivin’, ‘Australia’, the brilliant ‘Shangri-La’ and the title tune all deserve to stand along Ray Davies’ earlier masterpiece ‘Waterloo Sunset’. That’s quite an achievement and this CD would merit 10 stars if I could give ‘em. I’m givin’them 5 stars. Times two. Cheers.

Review by Monkey Knuckle Asteroid:

I’ve struggled long and hard to decide which Kinks album would qualify as my favorite. There are quite a few to choose from. There’s the lovely quietude of ‘Village Green’ and ‘Something Else’ and there’s the strangeness of ‘Percy,’ the transition of ‘Face to Face’ and the last good gasp of ‘Lola’But Arthur crushes them all in its giant maw…From the first song, where you hear Dave whooping with joy in the background to the last defeated rave-up, this album is pure greatness and it should be requisite law that every house should have it. What makes this album their best, other than it being a concept album (and we all know that concept albums make the best albums), is that it is a album of 20 songs, most of them songs within songs. It’s rare for an album to cover so much terrain and still come in under an hour. Besides which, this is the Kinks at their shining hour of greatness, all their successes and defeats behind them and nothing as good as this in their future. Ray’s writing is more genius than its ever been before. The Kinks’ playing has never been so tight and together. Plus it has ‘Shangri-La.’ Which is possibly one of the 10 best songs ever written…So share with the Kinks the joy of conquering the muscial frontier and weld your CD player shut as soon as you put “Arthur” in it….

Review by Dale Chapman:

Okay…even in this “original format”, this is probably the best Kinks album, but I must lead you to the remastered & expanded import. However, even its original format you get: David Watts: The famous “fa fa fa fa” song. Great driving rhythm. Blueprint for the Jam (and covered by the Jam in the 70′s).Death of a Clown: over-rated, as far as I’m concerned, but most folks find it to be a classic. Two Sisters: a transparent metaphor for the rivalry between brothers Dave & Ray. Dave was the rave-up sex toy, and Ray was the jealous domesticated husband/father (at the time).No Return: absolutely BRILLIANT shuffling, jazzy ditty. Yo La Tengo does a nice cover of this…Harry Rag: Music hall sing-along tune about everything being okay as long as you’ve got a smoke.Tin Soldier Man: another song disparaging the middle class (such as “Well Respected Man”). Great horny section (I mean, section with horns).Situation Vacant: an organ jiving 60′s rocker about giving up everything to keep your mother in law happy (and being miserable as a result).Afternoon Tea: one of several Ray Davies songs espousing the merits of tea (like “Have a Cuppa Tea”)…great Beach Boy’esque harmonies.Waterloo Sunset: probably Ray Davies single best song…poignant lyrics about love and love’s ability to make a substandard environment (have you ever been to Waterloo station?) seem like paradise. Harmonies like melted gold boulion. The album also includes several other second rate numbers (Lazy Old Sun, Love Me till the Sun Shines, Funny Face, & End of the Season), which are also good/great but pale next to their neighbors. Finally, the import contains EIGHT bonus tracks included the marvellous “There is No Life without Love” (sounds cheesy, but it’s sublime). Do you yourself a favor and get ANY VERSION of this album…even a stretched out 8 track tape. These songs represent, in my opinion, the pinnacle of rock’s potential. The Kinks have MANY great albums, and made great songs as late as 1976 (I personally adore the “Soap Opera” album), but this one has the highest number of A+ tracks, and also the greatest stylistic variety.

Review by :

I will skip the babbling about how great The Kinks are. Here is the order in which I recommend buying their albums:1. Something Else By The Kinks (5 stars)2. Face to Face (5 stars)3. Village Green Preservation Society (5 stars)4. Arthur… (5 stars)5. Lola Versus Powerman & The Moneygoround (4.5 stars)6. Misfits (4 stars)7. Muswell Hillbillies (4 stars)The first five are masterpieces. “Something Else” and “Village Green” are cohesive ensemble pieces; “Face to Face” is a fabulous collection of songs. Note that this is not a ranking; this is just the order in which I recommend buying these gems.

Review by C. S. Junker:

Between the peaks of their major hits “Sunny Afternoon” (1966) and “Lola” (1970) the Kinks were recording great music, most of which went virtually unheard, particularly in the United States. In 1966 the band was barred from performing in the U.S., and this situation wasn’t rectified until 1970. In addition, their sound became more distinctly British and less commercial, although “Dead End Street” and “Victoria” did get some airplay stateside.

This two-disc set contains these hits, album tracks from “Face to Face”, “Something Else by the Kinks”, “The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society”, “Arthur,” and the comeback “Lola vs. Powerman and the Money-go-round,” along with a number of single-only tracks that until very recently were available nowhere else.

Of the “British Invasion” bands the Kinks are unique in that their sound is fundamentally English rather than American. The Beatles were inspired by Elvis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry; the Rolling Stones drew their sound (and their name) from Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Ray Davies’ songs, with their focus on “simple people” and “ordinary lives”, their nostalgia for the village green and small-town England, are rooted in the traditions of English music-hall pop and British folk music.

Most of the songs here are not in the hard-rock tradition of the early Kinks (“You Really Got Me”, “Tired of Waiting for You”,) or the later Kinks (“Low Budget”, “Rock and Roll Fantasy”) but have a softer touch. The satirical trend evident in “A Well Respected Man” and “A Dedicated Follower of Fashion”, which skewered contemporary English life, give way to longing for the village green and the old steam-powered trains. Ray Davies’s brilliant, catchy melodies and superb lyrics are something unique in music.

This set is the best way to get acquainted with the Kinks. Once you get to know these songs you may want to buy all five albums, but you’ll want the singles anyway.

Review by PHILIP S WOLF:

I grabbed this one from a Record Shop at Christmas Time, 1972. I had been a Fan of the Kinks since the first blast of: “You Really Got Me” was heard over a Crappy Transistor Radio, on a beach in 1964. I needed more Kinks, as at this time the only Record by the Band that I owned was: “Arthur”.

Well, this Double LP: “The Kink Kronikles”, was and still is One of the Greatest Records of Music from the 1960′s, I was ever Lucky enough to Purchase {.99}, for me it’s THE Greatest Hits of that Decade.

The Songs of Ray Davies are British Anthems: “Dead End Street”, “This Is Where I Belong”, “Waterloo Station”, “Victoria” and “Days”. A previously unissued track is here as well: “Did You See His Name?”. I played these Two Records until they Melted. This Kollection opened a Huge Door of Music into my World, and I was buying a lot of Kinks Records after this.

This is the DEFINATE look into a period {1966-1971} of some of the Greatest Music to have come from England during those years. The Kinks have never Gotten Their Due. Without these Great Songs, The Sixties still would have gone on…BUT, There would have been a Huge Hole, Right in the Middle of that Decade, that where this Timeless Music, would have been.

If you wanna find out, what all the fuss was about, this Rock Music, we old-Timers, are still all worked-up over, more than Forty Years on, this will set it all in Place. This is The Sixties, some of the Greatest Music that you will ever listen to is on this CD.

FIVE STARS !!!

Review by Mike King:

10. It’s more concise than the 4-CD boxed set.
9. The inferior 2-CD “Hooligans” compilation is out of print.
8. It has informative liner notes, listing the date each song was recorded.
7. The booklet includes pictures of all the Who album covers, and has some great photos of the band in action.
6. The remastered songs sound great, even on a moderately priced stereo system.
5. The song selection is superb, without a single weak track.
4. The recently deceased John Entwistle plays the greatest bass guitar licks of all time on “My Generation.” This has never sounded clearer than the version on this compilation.
3. Roger Daltrey’s vocals and Pete Townshend’s songwriting are perfectly showcased on this great collection.
2. The first CD clocks in around 67 minutes. The second CD clocks in at nearly 69 minutes. Add in the bonus disc, and you have nearly two and a half hours of great Who music!
1. The bonus disc of 4 songs feature noticeably different versions of well known Who songs. Particularly outstanding is the acoustic version of “Happy Jack.” Because it’s a limited edition, you shouldn’t wait too long to buy the aptly named Ultimate Collection.

Review by Jason Stein:

I’d like to start by saying that a best of, or greatest hits compilation, always leaves some fan’s favorite song off. A compilation should really be judged by its inclusiveness of all the top 40 hits, as well as key album tracks. A compilation is not procured for fans who have all the artist’s cds. It designed to make money and to appeal to window shopping fans who want all the hits, plus a little extra. Does this two disc compilation of The Who satisfy that kind of buyer? Yes. The Who have 16 top 40 hits to their credit, and they’re all here except “The Relay” and “Athena”. So in that sense, this compilation gets a thumbs up. Does this compilation have many non-top 40 classics? Yes. Too many to just list here, but as a compilation, this is the first to encapsule such a dearth of music from The Who. Unless you want to get The Who’s box set. For those who don’t want to buy all 10 studio recordings, this two disc pit stop has everything you’d want. It’s about time someone realized that The Who deserves a two disc compilation instead of one. “Eminence Front”, though not a hit, has been absent from Who compilations until now. All the tracks are digitally remastered, another plus when shopping for a compilation. The liner notes are alright, tracing the band’s history, but it doesn’t offer an exciting read. In my opinion, aside from The Who’s box set, this is the best compilation of The Who thus far. A testament of a great rock and roll band. There’s plenty more positive things to say about The Who, but I’ll keep my critique to just this compilation.

Review by Robert Felton:

I can’t imagine what the purpose of this album is, unless the NFL pushed its release. All great songs, but chopping “Who Are You” in half is unforgivable. Then and Now was a nice, better, one disk collection, but buy the Ultimate Collection instead – you’ll be glad you did.

Review by Vincent G. Marino:

Sorry, but the remastering on this CD is awful. All of the previous Who collection sound better, especially “Then and Now.” Skip this.

Review by Mike Powers:

“Who’s Next” is definitely The Who’s best! Released in 1971 by arguably one of the greatest bands of all time, it followed on the heels of the rock opera “Tommy,” and Pete Townshend’s abandoned “Lifehouse” project. (“Lifehouse” was originally intended as The Who’s crowning achievement – a combination science fiction film, rock opera, double album, and concert cycle, all connected to make a statement.) “Who’s Next” contains some of The Who’s most outstanding and famous songs, including the rock anthem “Baba O’Riley,” “Bargain, “My Wife,” “Gettin’ in Tune,” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” all of them showing the band’s tremendous dynamism, versatility and musical maturity. Superbly intelligent lyrics, growling guitars, powerful, gritty vocals, and sizzling percussion, piano, and synthesizer, all converge to make every song on this CD a rock masterpiece. What makes this digitally remastered CD even better than the original album is the addition of five previously unreleased songs from “Lifehouse,” and the previously unreleased, original version of “Behind Blue Eyes. ” These songs, which include “Baby Don’t You Do It,” “Naked Eye,” “Water” and others, are equal in quality to the more familiar songs which make up the original “Who’s Next” album. Also included are very well written liner notes by Pete Townshend and John Atkins, which explain the evolution of “Who’s Next” from “Lifehouse.” “Who’s Next” is one of the landmark albums of all time. It’s also one of my personal favorites, and an essential CD, not only for fans of The Who, but for all fans of rock and roll music.

Review by Mike London:

The Who have always been overshadowed throughout their career by other, more `relevant’ trends. The Who persisted, however, and in the end created a body of work, largely penned by Townshend, which has become stands in the rock canon, but they’ve always had to fight for the spotlight. In the mid 1960s they had to contend with The Beatles and Stones and the rest of the Peace movement. From the early 1970s they had to deal with the singer-songwriter influx, and in the late part of their recording career they had to contend with punk (much of that relationship is dealt with in the highly underrated WHO ARE YOU album). However, in a three year span, The Who was THE center of rock and roll. From 1969 to 1971, The Who had the world in a spin with ferocious live shows, a whole new idea of what rock and roll could do (TOMMY), and the sheer power and velocity of them live was absolutely amazing. The Who were at the top of their game, and took the live performance of TOMMY on the road for two years. Everyone was wondering what their next move would be.WHO’S NEXT was the next move. Coming from the failed LIFEHOUSE, the album suddenly changed the direction that The Who had been established in. This is the turning point in The Who’s career as far as sound goes. Townshend went from writing mod anthems to more album-oriented rock. When listening to albums like TOMMY or SELL OUT or QUICK ONE and then the later albums such as QUADROPHENIA, this one, or WHO ARE YOU, while you can tell it’s the same band they’ve changed their sound drastically. Although they’ve always been loud, now The Who were playing genuine hard rock, and boy did it ever rock.The source material for WHO’S NEXT, LIFEHOUSE, a multi-media extravaganza about how rock was going to save the world, has become, like Brian Wilson’s SMILE, one of the great mysteries which everyone wonders what would have been had it come to completion. In The Who’s case, I think it benefitted the work overall to not come to completion. Although it always escapes me why “Pure and Easy” was left off the album (as well as “The Naked Eye”), over all WHO’S NEXT plays very tightly, concise, and extremely focused. Townshend sometimes let the concept bog down the music, although not nearly as much as, say, Roger Waters. To his immense credit, Townshend always made sure that the songs were very catchy, and TOMMY has some of the band’s best music, but taking it outside the context of the “concept,” the music does not stand up as well as WHO’S NEXT.That’s the main difference between TOMMY and WHO’S NEXT, and that’s what makes this record such a fascinating listen. If you know the plot of LIFEHOUSE*, then each song makes sense within its context. However, what makes WHO’S NEXT so powerful is the fact that, taken out of the LIFEHOUSE context, the music becomes an entirely different animal, which cannot be said for TOMMY. With LIFEHOUSE failing, instead we, as the listeners, have to take it on the basis of each individual song, and this gives the tracks from WHO’S NEXT more power than they ever could have if Townshend’s second rock opera had been fully realised. The best example of Townshend’s songs working better outside the LIFEHOUSE plot is, of course, the last track on the album, “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Instead of it being that great finale where Bobby and all his friends have escaped and are playing the final Lost Chord, it acts as excellent social commentary, and coming at the very beginning of the 1970s, after seeing the turbulence of the 1960s and all the tumult we were going through, Townshend manages to pen one phrase that blows the entire free love, hippie generation mentality, and with this one blow they never recovered. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss,” the very climax of the song, hits so hard and so fast it left the culture reeling, making that song the single most powerful statement made against the 1960s. Much of “Won’t Get Fooled Again’s” power would have been deflated had LIFEHOUSE been completed. Another excellent example is “Behind Blue Eyes” which is about the villain of LIFEHOUSE. Instead of being about one specific villain, it instead becomes about the villain in all of humanity. The same can be said of “Bargain.” Instead of talking about some esoteric Lost Note that will crumble the Grid, Townshend gives us a very spirituality-driven song. To those who interpret the song about a man and a woman, that’s their right, but I’ve always taken it as more of man’s relationship with God. In the end, WHO’S NEXT becomes The Who’s most powerful statement, not in spite of LIFEHOUSE’s failure, but BECAUSE of LIFEHOUSE’s failure.*There are several places on the Internet where you can get in detail LIFEHOUSE’s plot. Essentially, it’s a science fiction piece about rock and roll saving the world. Everyone is plugged into this Grid, and it reads kind of like Huxley’s BRAVE NEW WORLD where they’re kept doped up in the fact that they realise nothing’s wrong. Bobby, the main character, decides to instigate a revolution, founds this place called the Lifehouse, where a band is playing music. When you go to the Lifehouse, people take all your personal data, everything you are, and then you are given your own personal musical identity. The climax is everyone gets caught up in the music, and everyone’s information is fed into this computer which then produces everyone’s identity into one single note. The rebels play the Note, everything is put right in the world, and they live happily ever after. Townshend was going to actually do this, and The Who would play rock concents and everyone’s data would be represented musically. Can anyone say Spruce Goose? Good science fiction; hard as hell to pull it off in any other format other than the novel. No wonder it never got completed.P. S. Stop acting like the bonus tracks are part of the album. It’s unfair to deduct stars from an album because of the bonus material. They are bonus tracks, simply that.

Review by Brian J Hay:

The Who were at the top of their game when they recorded Quadrophenia and each member showcased his abilities to the fullest. This is Pete Townshend’s most concise work as a musical story teller. It also features some of the best songs he ever wrote. At least six of the pieces on this set exceed even his normal (high) standard. `Sea and Sand’ contains enough melodic fibre for two songs. `The Punk and the Godfather’ and `The Real Me’ are as fiery a pair of hard rock songs as have ever been released. `I’m One’, `The Dirty Jobs’, `Is It In My Head’, and `Drowned’ could easily find a place in music theatre. More familiar pieces such as `5:15′, `Bell Boy’ and `Love Reign O’er Me’ continue to shine to this day. Even some of the flawed material stands out. `Dr. Jimmy’ begins brilliantly but (partially) fails because Townshend didn’t seem to be able to figure out how it should end. His playing and singing is uniformly outstanding throughout the set. There’s some great guitar work on `Love Reign O’er Me’.

Roger Daltrey found himself as a vocal dramatist while the group was recording `Tommy’. The full power of his vocal range came out during the tours that followed and in the subsequent recording of `Who’s Next’. He made full use of both, and did so with flair, style and confidence on this record. There are points where he sings more softly, points where he roars and times when he does both. His best moments come during `The Real Me’, `Love Reign O’er Me’ and on `Bell Boy’ when he sets the stage for Moon.

John Entwistle came up with the clinic on how to use the bass as a lead instrument. His (most obvious) great moment comes early, midway through `The Real Me’ when he and Keith take up the entire melody of the song and carry it under Daltrey’s vocal line. It’s been done many times by a lot of people but seldom better than this. Mostly however, his work on this record is extremely subtle. He carries much of the melody (as was the norm for him) but provides an excellent platform for the layers of guitar and synth work that ride over-top. Listen closely to `Cut My Hair’, `The Punk Meets the Godfather’ and “Is It In My Head’. The point of note is that much of what he does only seems to be coming from the bass guitar if a listener stops and really thinks about it.

Keith Moon gave his best (and last great) studio performance on this recording. The way he and Entwistle carry the melody of `The Real Me’ is astounding. The symphonic element he lends `Dr. Jimmy’ is something few other drummers could pull off. The phrasing he used to mark `Sea and Sand’ is unique to this day. He marked Entwistle’s bass line on `The Dirty Jobs’ with his feet and Daltrey’s vocals with the sticks. His use of cymbals to close, open and join the song’s musical phrases is nothing short of remarkable. No other drummer would have played this piece like that, not then, not now, and not ever. He was probably the most innovative player ever to sit behind a drum kit.

This album never really got the recognition it deserved. That’s not surprising considering the troubles that dogged it right from the beginning. After the Lifehouse episode the group wasn’t ready to swallow another magnum opus from Townshend all too easily. Inactivity had shaken Moon’s confidence. The group had trouble enough finding him to bring him into the studio to play and even more trouble getting him to play once he was there. The record was released after the tour began because of an unexpected shortage of vinyl. None of the members was ever satisfied with the way it was mixed initially. Once it was released It didn’t get much media exposure either, probably because there wasn’t much on it that would have been suitable for radio. On stage it was too complex for the band to play without a set of backing tapes. The tapes malfunctioned on a regular basis. When they did work they locked the band into a set rendition of the pieces. Moon made things worse one night by getting into monkey tranquillizers and collapsing on-stage. He recovered but wasn’t himself for the rest of the tour (he dried out in a nursing home after it ended). That couldn’t have helped the shows. The group never really shook off those problems and, after a short tour the following year (for the most), left it behind them.

It’s stood the test of time (though it has its share of flaws that are all the more glaring because of the quality of the material surrounding them). The two instrumental pieces can wear their welcomes out quickly. In the wrong mood they sound either pretentious, dragged out, or both. `Dr. Jimmy’ spends at least three minutes rambling after it’s finished. `Helpless Dancer’ falls flat on its face. Those are small complaints though. There’s a lot to absorb on this record and it’s still well worth the effort to do so. The writing approaches volatile subject matter subject matter thoughtfully and with great insight. The delivery is powerful and original. It reaches the heart as well as the mind. With this release the problem with the mix has been corrected. The sound is excellent. And, apart from correcting the original problems, it now also comes closer than any of their other albums to bringing their stage sound to record. This may be hard to imagine given all the synthesizer tracks on the recording but it’s the truth. Who’s Next is a close second but playing to the time signatures of the click tracks for the first time put too many restraints on Moon for that to be the case. By the time the band recorded this album he’d had enough experience with them to work better within the limitations they imposed. The bootleg recordings from the ’75 tour prove this.

This is (finally) close to being the record the Who wanted to release. It’s everything a record should be.

Review by Kim Fletcher:

Was ‘The Who’ the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world? At the time of the release of their second double album rock opera Quadrophenia at the end of 1975, the answer would have probably been `yes’. The `Beatles’ had long since gone and never played any real live concerts as we know them today. ‘The Rolling Stones’ had just lost their second lead guitarist in Mick Taylor, and were being led down a very disco-orientated channel by Mick Jagger. Only Keith Richards could really claim to be a true rocking Stone. ‘Led Zeppelin’ was still around of course, but they were almost on another plain. So we can safely say that in the early seventies `The Who’ was one of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll bands around. Already with many landmark albums behind them, Tommy (1969), Live at Leeds (1970), and Who’s Next (1972), not to mention a mass of hit singles and historic appearances at such events as Monterey Pop Festival 1967, Woodstock, and the Isle of Wight in both 1969 and 1970, were backed up by saturation touring to bigger and bigger audiences all over the world.

Of course, like all of the rock greats, ‘The Who’ was not only known for their recording and spectacular stage shows, but stories of their on the road excesses are now part of rock ‘n’ roll mythology. The release of Quadrophenia was the major rock release of late 1973. It was waited for with barely concealed restraint by their millions of fans. The album went straight into the charts at number two in the United Kingdom and the United States of America remaining in the top thirty for over six months, a phenomenon almost unheard of for a double album in those far off days.

Quadrophenia found ‘The Who’ at the peak of their collective powers. Peter Townshend wrote all the songs, and never before had he put together such a continuous package of solid arrangements with such strong emotions bursting through in every song. The story follows the early years of a young man, Jimmy, growing from adolescence to nearly killing himself due to his fall into the depths of depravity in the whirlwind world of the Mods and Rockers on the south coast of England in the early sixties; a gripping tale of youth culture from those heady days.

Peter Townshend’s guitar playing here also finally raised him onto the same level as his peers like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Roger Daltrey is the person who puts his throat on the line to give the feeling to Townshend’s words. Roger Daltrey was at the peak of his powers when he sings the final stanza’s of ‘Love Reigns O’er me’ and brings the album to its shattering climax. One wonders if he still had a larynx left.

For the one time in the Who’s career all the songs on one album were written by their principal songwriter, not leaving room for any of John Entwistle’s often entertaining songs. John Entwistle shows more than ever here how essential he was to the Who with his fluid bass lines giving the songs real substance. John Entwistle’s way of playing the bass was not only to nail down the theme of the songs, but also as a lead instrument. On Quadrophenia, more than any other Who album, the bass is pushed right to the front of the mix, quite deservedly so. John’s fine French horn playing also adds a haunting air to some of the songs.

Then driving the band ever forward was everybody’s favorite rascal Keith Moon, not only is his drumming superb and distinctive (only Keith Moon could drum like Keith Moon), but his vocal contribution to ‘Bellboy’ always brings a smile to your face. The fine piano playing of Chris Stainton should also be given a mention as it compliments the other players perfectly. Perhaps the Who should of added a keyboard playing then, instead of waiting till poor old Keith had shuffled off this mortal coil. It would have helped the band immensely trying to play these songs on stage instead of messing about with pre-recorded backing tapes.

The album open ups with the sound of the sea washing up on the beaches and snatches of refrains from the main themes of what is to come. The band comes crashing in with the rocker ‘The Real me’ and from then on you are taken on the roller coaster ride of a young impressionable wannabe Mod with plenty of highs as well as deeply disturbing lows. One of the highs is of Jimmy actually going to see his favorite band ‘The Who’ in concert. As Jimmy tries to emulate his heroes, his life spirals more and more out of control. With this the band’s playing becomes more and more frenzied, climaxing in the nine minutes of ‘Doctor Jimmy’, where, if you listen carefully, you can hear Roger Daltrey’s microphone being spun round the heads of all in the studio on its lead wire, and Townshend windmills his arm around his axe, building to the next frantic chorus. You can imagine the whole studio being destroyed at the song’s climax.

`Doctor Jimmy’, played in all it’s glory on stage at Charlton Football ground in 1974 in front of 95-thousand people, was the highlight of the Who’s set. The album closes out with the triumphant instrumental `The Rock’, just before ‘Love Reigns O’er me’ brings the proceedings to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion. Quadrophenia is a great rock band at the top of its game. Logically, later it turned into a movie with Phil Daniels playing Jimmy and Sting the Bellboy, which was excellent.

Modded by Mott the Dog.

Rockered by Ella Crew

Review by Vote Libertarian:

If you are a Who fan, or want to make a Who fan cry for joy, get this DVD. It’s a must-have for any Who freak, second only to “The Kids Are Alright” documentary.

Disc 1 is the complete Kilburn 1977 show and disc 2 is the complete London Coliseum 1969 show. I have a huge bootleg collection and would rate both shows as two of the top five Who shows ever (to say nothing of their historic importance).

The 1977 Kilburn show is “take 1″ of the 1978 Shepperton show (see “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” on “The Kids Are Alright”). Both shows were private affairs filmed for the documentary, but except for Moon’s shirt, they are almost indistinguishable. If you loved Townshend’s and Moon’s antics in those clips, this DVD is for you! FYI, this is the show that gave us “My Wife” on “The Kids Are Alright” soundtrack album.

Even better, guitar-wise, is the London 1969 concert. This is the show that gave us “Young Man Blues” on “The Kids Are Alright”. This may be Townshend’s best performance ever, but I don’t want to start that fight here. Finally, why did they break up the London show and move the Tommy section to the Extras menu? Why not keep the entire show intact as the Lord intended it? It’s all on the same disc anyway… I’ll tell you why: because otherwise this DVD would be so perfect it would pull the rest of the universe into it and then we’d be totally screwed.

Review by silly narwhal:

Hey Zebba 9, what film were YOU watching?? The opener Can’t Explain is kind of a warmup, after which Townshend is absolutely ferocious on guitar. And as animated & glassy-eyedly immersed as at any time in his career–this is definitely the Pete that would’ve kicked Abbey Hoffman off the stage again had he showed up. This performance demonstrates everything that makes the Who great~ these guys hadn’t performed in a year, and they find spaces that hearken back to Leeds & Isle of Wight. Moon may look a little bloated, but he’s in tremendous form musically. They all are, individually and as the collective organism that was the ‘Orrible ‘Oo.

Perhaps I’m making too much of it, but this performance is a revelation, in my opinion. At a time when they’re supposed to have been a spent force, they reclaim and amply display their power here; they turn in a vintage performance for the lucky audience. There is a moment during Who Are You (which gave me chills when they went into it~ WHO KNEW?) where the communication breaks down (honestly, I think Pete aborts too early)….but they recover in spades with Won’t Get Fooled Again (watch the roadies banging their heads) and the only reason for the breakdown in the first place was the willingness & confidence to take the chance and journey into open-ended territory…..just like they were doing in ’70 during My Generation. Great My Generation here, too, by the way.

I agree about the camera angles, but not to the point of it being relevant to the basic thrill of this film. (Maybe they could release a you-control-the-angles version someday, like you can do for Baba O’Riley & Won’t Get Fooled Again on the Kids Are Alright dvd).

I’d recommend this to any Who fan without another thought. I only wonder how this stayed hidden for so long.

Review by B. Marold:

Pete Townshend possibly feels a lot like David O. Selznick, the producer of the movie `Gone With The Wind’ in fearing that he will only be remembered in his obituary by his creating that one work, as Townshend, like Selznick, seems to have been spending his time after completing their most important work in trying to top it.

To my mind, Townshend should have no regrets about not topping `Tommy’, as it is easily one of the two or three most important albums and works in the entire Rock canon, similar in importance and possibly superior in quality to `Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ and `Blond on Blond’, to name just two others high in the ranks of great Rock albums.

One thing which surprises me about writing on `Tommy’ is how little deep analysis has been essayed about the story behind the songs. In a nutshell, the story is this:

Tommy Walker is born while his father is off on some journey (`It’s a boy’) from which he becomes several years late in returning. Tommy’s mother takes up with a lover, father returns, mother and lover kill father with Tommy as a witness, and mother and lover tell Tommy he saw and heard nothing (`You didn’t hear it’). Tommy becomes functionally blind, deaf, and dumb to all outside appearances, however, it is evident that within his own head, he can see and hear everything (`There’s a doctor I’ve found’). He is tormented by various malicious relatives (`Cousin Kevin’ and `Fiddle About’) and `treated’ by various attempts, including hallucinogens (`Acid Queen’). As he grows up, the only outside experience to which he responds is a pinball machine, at which he becomes expert (`Pinball Wizard’). Tommy is finally cured by watching his image in a mirror smashed by, I believe, his mother’s lover (`Smash the Mirror’). Being released from his isolation for Tommy is like being released from a practically lifelong mystical experience heightened by pinball. The charisma with which Tommy is imbued by this experience leads him to become a `New Messiah’ (`Sally Simpson’) creating a movement which expands beyond local resources (`Welcome’) and becomes institutionalized into a ritual modeled after playing pinball while deaf dumb and blind (`Tommy’s holiday camp’). The story ends with a revolt of Tommy’s disciples against his new religion (`We’re not gonna take it’).

The theme of being oppressed runs throughout practically all of Townshend’s work, although in `Tommy’, it takes a back seat to mysticism. The people who dote on the philosophical background of `The Matrix’ should sink their teeth into the `Tommy’ story and ruminate on that a while. The major musical theme of the work seems to be Townsend’s search for a magical chord. And, anyone who, like myself, has seen `Tommy’ performed live by the original Who will have no trouble believing Townsend has found his chord as he hits that first great whirlwind chord in `Pinball Wizard’. Talk about a rush! In general, a lot of the music echoes earlier Who works. Townshend seems to constantly cut and paste phrasings from one work to another and I have no problem with this except in the most tedious of the three instrumental pieces (`Underture’) in the album.

Some writers have said that ‘Tommy’ is more like an Oratorio or a Song Cycle than it is an Opera, but I disagree. Neither of these other two genres requires a plot, and an Opera does, and Tommy has a plot. I prefer to think of it as a selection of arias and instrumental passages from which some bridging dialogue has been left out. My biggest problem with this plot is that the actual event that triggers Tommy’s autism is only hinted at in the most vague of terms. It is easy to believe that it was a murder, but the lyrics of `You Didn’t Hear It’ never come even close to saying exactly what the event was. On the other side of the coin, the great majority of the songs on the album `Tommy’ directly support carrying the story forward. Practically the only exception is the Sonny Boy Williamson classic `Eyesight to the Blind’. It is probably symptomatic that only `Pinball Wizard’, `I’m Free’, and `Sensation’ out of the 24 cuts in `Tommy’ really work for the Who outside the context of the whole work. That’s why I’m especially happy to have seen The Who perform virtually the whole album live, four days after it was initially released. It is also interesting to see that the two cuts describing episodes of sadism were written by Entwistle and not Townshend.

This CD contains exactly what was on my original vinyl two record album bought in 1969, suitably enhanced with modern electronics. My greatest respect for Townshend is for creating a classic musical form, the Opera, using an entirely ROCK instrument, with the slightest classical leavening from John Entwistle’s French horn on a few early numbers. So many `rock’ versions of traditional forms simply overlay rock performances on classical arrangements or make classical arrangements of rock melodies. Aside from `Quadrophenia’, the only other work which succeeds at doing this is Spooky Tooth/Pierre Henry work `Ceremony An Electronic Mass’.

Listening to this album and every other early Who album reminds one just how much their performances were a collaborative effort between the original four, and how much we miss Keith Moon and John Entwistle today. We can only say that with `Tommy’ and numerous other works and recorded performances, the memory of The Who will live forever.

Seminal work in the history of Rock.

Review by Chris H. Townsend:

Just get it. I have been enjoying DVD-Audio for the last year yet there were many titles I wanted in the SACD catalog so I recently purchased the Pioneer DV-563AS, a DVD player that will play back both DVD-Audio and SACD yet costs under 200.00. The Deluxe edition of Tommy simply sounds fantastic when playing the SACD 5.1 mix, the difference between it and the regular layer using a normal CD player is quite significant. Although I will admit to being prejudiced as Tommy is one of my all time favotite albums, this new version is simply superb, I am such a believer in the new high bit rate/sampling rate and 5.1 formats. It is amazing how good a near 35 year old recording can sound. Even if you don’t have an SACD player this disc is very much worth getting, the stereo mix is excellent, you get a bonus disc with 17 additional tracks and the packaging is excellent, very high quality.

Review by J. Remington:

Dave Marsh can be an arrogant, snotty,and belligerent writer. Which is fitting as The Who often shared the same faults. Marsh does everything he possibly can to don the cloak of The Who and write as though he was one of them. I agree with other reviewers in criticising the book’s overall veracity. But that really is a small matter as “Before I Get Old” frequently is as entertaining as the group it documents.Pete Townsend certainly is one of the few geniuses Rock music has produced. “Before I Get Old” certainly works extremely hard at presenting Townsend as Rock’s All Father, a mantel Townsend himself worked very hard to develop. As a result, Townsend often comes off a real prententious jerk. But God, what great music he and his band mates produced out of their many disputes.Marsh works hard at praising the contributions of Daltrey, Entwhistle and of course the incomparable Moon the Loon in producing some of the finest music Rock could ever hope to produce (boy, that was an arrogant statement- see the book rubs off. Marsh also never loses the fact that he is first and foremost a rabid fan. Maybe that is the book’s biggest weakness, maybe it is the book’s biggest strength. Marsh builds the case that The Who were the greatest Rock and Roll group of all time. An opinion I share (The Beatles are in a class all by them selves). He also makes the case that The Who really died with Keith Moon.”Before I Get Old” is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it will do until we get the definitive work. As is, this is a blast to read.

Review by Monkey Knuckle Asteroid:

It seems to me that if you pick up a rock bio and expect to get something even close to the reality of what really went on, you are setting yourself up for a hard fall. Dave Marsh does a really good job, however, at summing up the Who’s career and belting out the facts with nice writing and concise direction. You’re given behind the scenes looks at a lot of infighting, songs, albums, lives and careers and it all gels rather well together.Marsh definitely has his opinions and is not hesitant in letting loose with them. I say good. Rock journalism is not the place for objectivity, just as rock n’ roll is the essential forum to spill out everything you ever thought about everything. He has his biases and likes and it’s nice to see because from that you understand that you are reading a Who fan’s bio of the band. A much more well-informed fan than most, but basically, a fan. The downside is also an upside. The downside being that almost all the quotes and personal asides in the book are taken from other interviews or films or whatnot, but that’s also an upside. You get a collage view of the Who from their early days of snotty-punk-rock and their later days of fried-out elegance. Pound for pound, in my book, the Who were the best band to come from the whole British invasion. And this book is as good a companion piece to the music as you’re apt to find. Either it’s this or waiting for their respective autobiographies….Then you really won’t know who to trust.

Review by Anyechka:

This is one of my favourite Who albums because it’s got so much musical energy and excitement pulsating all throughout. It reflects the band’s changing musical direction, like it or not; who wants a band or singer to have the exact same style on each and every album? Most music put out in 1978 was like this, very influenced by New Wave and the dawn of the Punk movement. And since I love this album so much, I was shocked to discover that the remastering had taken away some lyrics and instrumentation on the songs, like the first part of the chorus in “Trick of the Light.” And the songs are linked together thematically, all about the changing nature of music. The album begins with a jolt of energy and pulls one right in until the final moment, Keith’s final moment of glory on his beloved drums before his untimely premature death. His drumming on the other tracks hadn’t been the greatest (esp. on the only track I don’t really care for, “Music Must Change,” where he had to play cymbals because he couldn’t master the drumming it required), but on the title track, the closing track on both the original release and the later remaster, he comes back to life with a vengeance, going out in a blaze of glory.

The bonus tracks are kinda skimpy in comparison to the great bonus tracks on many of their other albums which doubled their original lengths, and three are just different versions of songs that were already featured, but what we have is really good. The best ones are the lost verse mix of the title track, “No Road Romance,” and the band’s version of “Empty Glass,” which became the title track of Pete’s real first solo album. Interestingly, the band version contains the refrain “Killing each other, then we jump off a ledge,” but by the time the solo album was released two years later, the suicidal line, from one of three known songs Pete wrote during this time period with lines about jumping or falling off of a ledge, one of the others being “Love Is Coming Down” (a track on this album), had been changed to “Killing each other by driving a wedge.” That was a really marvelous selection of a bonus track, on a really marvelous album which doesn’t get enough credit.

Review by Daniel:

Yes, The Who were starting to ease into a kinder, gentler point in their career. True, The Who were forever changed when one fourth of it’s original, incendiary line up became yet another rock casualty; but what a swan song this was. From the first notes of the muscular opening track “New Song” to the triumphant punch of the album’s closer “Who Are You”, Pete Townshend’s matured outlook and vision remained just as clear as it ever had. With Daltrey’s gruff, beefy vocals, Entwhistle’s dazzling bass flourishes, Townshend’s cranking power chords, and Moon’s incredible timing and fills, this 1978 album bristles with all the energy of a band half their age. Rockers like “Had Enough” and “Guitar & Pen” showcase the vocal prowess and power of the man called Daltrey, whilst beautiful gems such as “Love Is Coming Down” and “Music Must Change” remind the listener of the songwriting genius of Pete Townshend. Hearing the bonus tracks at the end of the CD is icing on this already glorious cake, and is essential for any true Who fan (especially hearing some of the last drumming Moon ever put down on tape with “Empty Glass”). Everytime I put on this CD (and it’s a lot) I am transported to a wonderful place. There are many reasons for it, and one is the magic in the chemistry of these four individuals… That this CD is the final curtain call for this legendary line up makes “Who Are You” even more important, and sadly, more poignant.

Review by R. Williams:

The Cult of Clapton tends to state that EC is the ultimate rock don who makes everything he touches, from the sheer power of his greatness. How is it, then, that all the great things he did were with other great people? Want EC w/out a great supporting cast? Go buy “Lay Down Sally.” Not to knock him, he is one of the great guitarists of all time. But come on, most people say Cream broke up because Clapton was sick of Jack Bruce acting like the front man, and then he ended up in two groups that he only lasted one album with (this and Derek and the Dominoes). Of course, they are two of the greatest rock albums of all time. To his credit, Clapton clearly brings out the best in others, though this album testifies to the fact that they often bring out the best in him as well. For instance, to me, “Do What You Like” is one of the greatest songs in the history of rock and roll. It’s written by Ginger Baker? Amazing. (And to his credit, EC has repeatedly acknowledged the fact that Ginger Baker is the most amazing drummer of all time.) Clapton’s solo in “Do What You Like” is one of my favorites of his: fantastic playing and a beautiful tone with a haunting dose of reverb that really works.

Steve Winwood is an great vocalist, and it is truly hard to figure out why if you use the “American Idol” metrics. But on this album, the fusion of his bluesy style and the material, which is haunting and hypnotic, is just plain magic. From the opening bars of “Had to Cry Today,” this album reverberates in a way that few other albums do and Winwood’s vocals are a big part of that.

It continues to astound me how many people out there have not heard this record. Searing, unique, incredibly powerful album.

Review by R. Toomey:

I was one of the lucky ones to get the original issue of this CD without the two bonus tracks. The reason that this is Four Stars is because you can’t get this now without the two bonus tracks. The two bonus tracks threw this off when it was reissued. Everything about this is great. What a lineup too Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Rick Grech and Ginger Baker. One of Winwood’s best songs is included here “Can’t Find My Way Home”. Also the Eric Clapton penned “Presence Of The Lord” is very good. Not everyday do you get four talented musicians like this together. Unfortunately, there probably won’t be a Blind Faith Part Two because of the passing of Rick Grech. That is why many people consider this a Landmark recording. A one time thing gone right. By the way, they just reissued this as a double CD with more extra tracks. Do yourself a favor, pass it up. It’s not as good as the original. Damn those bonus tracks.

Review by Michael D. Williams:

Like many a “baby boomer” I too am still a fan of Cream, Blind Faith and other Nineteen Sixties “Classic” rock bands. In addition to the rock music styles of the `60′s and intervening years, I also love many of the current styles of Alternative and Metal. Blind Faith was one of the excellent bands and albums to close out the decade. The other reviewers here have done a great job of pointing out the main points about the Blind Faith album. I agree with pretty much everything they say, but I would like to clear up a few slight errors, omissions, or misconceptions.

First, the original vinyl LP released in August 1969 came with either of two different covers in the USA. ATCO SD 33-304A had the infamous “Nude Girl with Airplane” cover, and ATCO SD 33-304B had the “Band Picture” cover (Note: Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker posing with the “incorrect” instruments.) At the time I did not know I had purchased the “clean” version. I did not even find out about the “naughty” jacket until I got curious about the “B” in the catalog number. Later, for many years the “Nude Girl” cover seems to have became only common on import pressings of the album (different catalog numbers as well). The retailers had indicated to Atlantic Records that they would not stock the album with the nude cover so a second cover was put out. This situation is similar to the US vs foreign releases of the Jimi Hendrix Experience album “Electric Ladyland.”

Second, Rick Grech (Bass, Violin) had been a member of Family, Steve Winwood (Piano, Organ, Vocals) came from Traffic, and both Eric Clapton (Guitar) & Ginger Baker (Drums) were from Cream.

Third, In addition to the two basic versions of the Blind Faith (1990) Polydor 825 094 CD featured here on Amazon, I know of a third. There is the standard six-track version on one CD that is exactly like the original LP. I agree, if it were not for the oddball long Ginger Baker piece “Do What You Like,” the album even on vinyl, let alone CD would have been an EP. Then there is the 2CD “Deluxe Edition” (2001) Polydor 314 549 529-2 with 5 extra tracks on the first disk and four long Jams on the second disk, also available from Amazon. This two disk CD set pretty much covers the recorded output of Blind Faith. There is a (probable bootleg) 2 CD set of Blind Faith alternate takes called “Rehearsals,” but I do not have it or know the contents. But I came across a third CD version of Blind Faith on RSO Records from West Germany. This import version of Blind Faith (1986) RSO (W. Germany) 825 094-2 includes two extra tracks not found on the 2 CD Polydor set. It has songs called “Exchange and Mart” and “Spending All My Days.” Personally I am not sure these are truly Blind Faith songs. They just don’t sound right, especially the guitar and drums. They sound more like Rick Grech and Steve Winwood demos. Specifically, I think what I hear is Rick playing Bass & Violin, and Steve playing everything else, Keyboards, Guitar, Drums. Yes, multitracked and overdubbed, but with out Eric or Ginger. Also the late listed recording date of October 1969 makes me suspicious. The known recording dates otherwise for Blind Faith were from February 20 to June 28, 1969. The band broke up in November. If anyone out there knows any more about these or other “extra” Blind Faith songs, please let the rest of us know.

Review by kireviewer:

This is a collaboration that produced a once in a lifetime classic. This group could not repeat or maintain the success of this one output. This album was made during what was probably the most creative and exciting period in the history of rock. Musicians were shedding old bands and traditional pop/rock. New bands and one time collaborations were being formed from pieces of old bands. There was a lot of experimentation and new sounds were being created. The range of rock music was expanded beyond the three minute hit. The record companies were paying for, FM radio (which was just emerging in the US) was playing it and people were enjoying it. Blind Faith was Steve Winwood from Traffic, Rich Grech from Family and Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker from Cream. This album was their only official output. It has a very unique sound that matches Winwood’s blues/soul vocals with Clapton’s straight ahead rock. All of the songs, the music and every other aspect of this album are very strong. There isn’t a weak spot in the whole project. Clapton has some very nice guitar parts, Winwood’s organ soars in places and Grech adds some extra depth with a violin solo.Besides this album, Blind Faith recorded a few extra tunes which can be found on various anthologies, like Eric Clapton’s Crossroads. Any of the leftover tunes would have been out of place on this album. Blind Faith also went on a US tour that was supposed to be a disaster. This band without Clapton, but with a number of other musicians did go onto to appear on Ginger Baker’s Airforce’s first album (a live double LP). The sound is quite different with some African influences, but they do play “Do What You Like”. It is a fun album that is worth seeking out. Note that some versions of this CD have two extra songs: “Exchange and Mart” is a nice instrumental, featuring violin, that almost fits in with the original material. “Spending My Time” is a terrible Clapton tune that could use some serious reworking.

Review by Misty Jackson:

I’m amazed at the poor reviews on this book. It’s like Farenheit 451 – only modernized. I mean, really- that’s almost exactly what this book is. I noticed several comparisons while reading. It’s set in the future, where privacy is against the law. Literally every moment of your life is televised- kind of like now, how facebook is updated every 3 minutes so you don’t miss out on your best friends mothers boyfriends second cousin going to the washroom. Yes, the idea is far fetched- but really, how far off are we? Think about that as you read.

I have never read a Ben Elton novel before, and I was very surprised. I go through about 5 novels a week, which is quite a bit. I couldn’t put this book down! I was anxious to get back to it when I needed a break. It was quite different from anything else I’ve read this year, and i’m going to make sure I read some more of his books. Good find!

Review by darklordzden:

London, One Hundred Years Hence: Trafford Sewell ekes out an existence with wife Chantorria and newborn, Caitlin Happymeal, in a repellant, crowded, postdiluvian London which has been consumed by religious fundamentalism, tabloid culture and a rampantly prurient culture of egocentric self-involvement. Privacy is viewed as an aberration, fiction has been outlawed and the majority of the populace are largely unable to communicate in (or relate to) anything beyond the clichéd wooden spoon platitudes of tabloid newspapers and inane reality television shows. But Trafford nurses a secret and in a world in which the keeping of secrets is viewed as an affront to God-the-love himself, this will set him on a collision course with the corrupt orthodoxies that police this feculent dystopia…

Its been about twenty years since I last read a Ben Elton novel and reading “Blind Faith” was something of a reintroduction to what I used to enjoy about his writing. It must be said, whilst I was never much of a fan of him as a left-wing stand-up comedian and a vanguard of the politically correct alternative comedy establishment during the Thatcherite eighties, “Blind Faith” seemed to me in many ways to be an act of atonement for past sins: age, living through ten years of disastrous new labour government and bearing witness to the encroaching “dumbing-down” of popular culture has clearly removed the scales from his eyes and invested his writing with a righteous indignation and affront at the increasingly bovine nature of modern life.

Whilst the plot of “Blind Faith” is essentially a reinvention and a grand satire of Orwell’s 1984 (Signet Classics) and Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, what raises it above the level of a facile pastiche are Elton’s vitriolic broadsides at the moronic nature of much of the internet; government surveillance; peer pressure; philanthropic celebrities; the death of literacy and reason; ‘touchy-feely’ office culture and religious fundamentalism and its incipient hypocrisy.

In the best tradition of Wellsian science fiction, he is not really purporting a realistic speculative future, so much as asking us to look at the lunacy of our present through a glass darkly.

Upon first cracking the spine of this book, I considered it to be a three star effort as best, but upon reflection, I can’t find it in my heart to give it anything less than five; the plot may be predictable and the characters may be trite, but it’s message is just far too important.

Review by Book Buddy:

If it is true that Sanctuary is not releasing this DVD in the United States due to contractual problems, that is very unfortunate for Blind Faith fans. This is probably the only footage one will ever see of this group, so if you’re a fan, you will want to see this DVD. Amazon UK sells this DVD but you must have a DVD player that plays PAL. So do yourself a favor, buy a DVD player that can play both NTSC and PAL, not just to play this DVD, but for so many other DVDs that are only available in the PAL format because they aren’t released in the U.S. for whatever reason. Various electronic companies on the Internet sell these type of machines, so get one now, open yourself up to the world of PAL DVDs!

Now to the DVD itself. Blind Faith probably should have waited until they had more songs in their repertoire before they started touring because they really didn’t have many of their own songs under their belt yet. So their actual set for this concert is only about 40 minutes or so. Before we actually see the concert, there is an introduction that discusses the musical climate of the time and the background of the members of Blind Faith. The footage is crisp and the colors are beautiful. The editing of the concert footage is fine, luckily we really don’t get that horrible MTV style with the super quick edits that makes one want to vomit.

I felt that the group played very well considering this was their first concert. Winwood and Baker were outstanding, they seemed to be really into it. Clapton and Grech looked like zombies but they played well. Grech was an excellent bass player who probably doesn’t get enough recognition nowadays.

The high points of the concert were Sea of Joy (eventhough I miss Grech not playing the violin on this), Can’t Find My Way Home, In the Presence of the Lord, and Had to Cry Today (excellent bass by Grech makes this song memorable). I also enjoyed the crowd scenes, I love seeing people do those crazy, acid influenced dances and also seeing those colorful outfits, far out!

The bonus material could have been better on this DVD. Traffic, Spencer Davis Group, and Cream each get only one clip while Family (Grech’s original group) doesn’t get any representation.

It is a shame this group only put out one album, I would have loved to have seen where they would have went with their music. At least now we have this DVD.

Review by Hardy Melville:

I understand the technical complaints made by some here, and wish the footage was shot differently. But it is what it is, and the perspective I have mentioned is this was a shortlived band but an incredibly talented one, with this being the only available video material. I think the music holds up extremely well, and the differences from the album they put out make this that much more interesting, particularly the different, electric version of Can’t Find My Way Home, plus the tracks not on the album, including a rousing rendition of Stevie’s Means to an End, the blues Sleeping in the Ground (Winwood had a great voice for the blues – it is too bad he didn’t sing blues more often), and a great version of the Stones’ Under My Thumb.

Looking back at Blind Faith, I feel particularly nostalgic and regretful about it. I was and remain a huge fan of Cream and the Traffic both before and after Blind Faith, but feel that Clapton got off track when he left England to go with Delaney and Bonnie and eventually the Dominoes, as that period coincided with his decline into drug use, which began before he left. Clapton never played with a vocalist who equaled Winwood, and it is wonderful watching him focus on the accompanist role as he does here. Baker is more restrained, tasteful and effective than in Cream here, and that is no knock on his Cream performances. Traffic was great, but Winwood never had the quality of bandmates for live performance he had here. It really was a shame Blind Faith did not stay together, and I am not sure I understand why they did not. Seeing this video makes me wish again they had, with all the great music that definitely would have brought.

I disagree with those who have criticized Winwood’s vocal performance here. This is not a studio performance, and Stevie would take chances at times. It was part of his appeal as a performer.

I have greatly enjoyed this disc, and despite the technical limitations it has quickly become one of my very favorite ones. I have watched it a number of times and enjoy it more and more. I have recommended it to friends who have given it near universal raves as well.

In addition to the songs mentioned above, Sea of Joy is great, as the soloing on the studio recording of Grech playing violin or viola is covered by Clapton and Winwood switching off. Clapton does not use the wah wah during the solo on Presence of the Lord, and in general there is less of the two songs in one feel that you have in the studio version. Had to Cry Today closes the concert, and unlike the double tracked guitars in the studio version, this version has Winwood on keys. Do What You Like was truncated and rather sloppily so, but it is the exception in that regard.

In fact it is fascinating the way the band was able to get the range of expressiveness they did with very little use of different instrumentation or effects. It is a lesson to all casual performers who overuse effects as a crutch.

In short, I highly recommend this.

Review by Ron Frankl:

Now often overlooked, Blind Faith was guitar god Eric Clpaton’s first move after Cream imploded at the end of 1968. Joining forces with the multi-talented Steve Winwood(vocals and keyboards), who has just left Traffic, seemed like an unbeatable idea, and the addition of drummer extraordinaire Ginger Baker and bassist Rick Grech made Blind Faith seem like a “can’t miss” project. Six months later it was over. Rushed into the studio by greedy and insensitive managers and then sent on a long and chaotic tour, Blind Faith never had a chance to gel as a band. After one promising album, the original supergroup broke up. Judged a disappointment at the time Blind Faith’s one and only album has some very fine moments. Clapton had yet to develop the confidence needed to be a convincing lead vocalist, so he deferred to Winwood, who was at his peak as a singer. Clapton’s guitar work is simply magnificent, as he is already maturing beyond his work with Cream and pointing towards his renaissance with Derek & the Dominoes that began a year later. Polydor has remastered “Blind Faith” using state-of-the-art technology, and reissued it with outtakes and jam sessions from the original 1969 recording sessions. The original album is a revelation; the sound as crisp and full as is imaginable. The clarity is astounding, and even if you think you know every note of this album, you will be pleasantly surprised by what you hear on this new version. Songs like Winwood’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” and “Sea of Joy,” and Clapton’s “Presence of the Lord” have aged very well and sound better than ever. The outtakes are a mixed lot. A couple have appeared on Clapton and Winwood’s anthologies, and several others have circulated for years on bootlegs, albeit with inferior sound. These tracks are interesting but not essential. The jams, alas, are largely a waste. Playing riffs for ten or fifteen minutes while waiting for a musical idea that’s worth keeping is not my idea of fun for the listener. These tracks are not even built around a reliable and basic format like 12-bar blues. There are some fiery moments – how could there not be with these musicians – but, like the three CD “Layla” box a decade ago, most of the unreleased material is disappointing. Still, fans of Clapton, Winwood and their various bands will probably want to own this set. The remastered “Blind Faith” is a gem, and stakes a viable claim for the album as one of the best of its era.

Review by Alan Caylow:

The world’s first “supergroup,” consisting of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker & Rick Grech, Blind Faith fizzled out almost as quickly as they began—too many egos, too many cash-ins on the part of their managers, and a plagued U.S. tour sealed their fate. But amidst their all-too-brief whirlwind in 1969, the band DID manage to cobble together one single self-titled album, which still stands today as a classic. Containing just six songs, the “Blind Faith” album has held up just fine, thank you very much. “Had To Cry Today,” spearheaded by Clapton’s unique fretboard, is a groovy headbobber. “Can’t Find My Way Home” is one of Winwood’s most heartfelt compositions, and Clapton’s beautiful “Presence Of The Lord” is one of the biggest highlights of Slowhand’s career. The band put an excellent, fresh spin on Buddy Holly’s “Well Alright,” “Sea Of Joy” is another Winwood winner, and the big finish, Baker’s “Do What You Like,” is a rock drummer’s heaven. And let’s not overlook the great bass contributions throughout from Grech, keeping this great rock outfit firmly anchored.The original six-song “Blind Faith” album easily earns 5 out of 5 stars, but this is the special 2001 re-issue version, which now makes “Blind Faith” a double album, containing five previously unreleased extended jams and a few other studio leftovers. Now, you’d think that by applying more material to the album, it would make this already-brilliant recording even more brilliant. But not so fast—while some of the extra material here IS a wonderful addition to the 1969 album, some other material comes across as excess flab that should’ve stayed in the vaults. First, the Good Stuff: the two solid versions of the blues number, “Sleeping In The Ground”; Winwood’s engaging instrumental “Time Winds” (but was it intended to have lyrics, I wonder?); and the electric version of “Can’t Find My Way Home,” which is just as lovely as the acoustic original. As for the five extended jams, the “Acoustic Jam” is a total keeper, & “Slow Jam #2″ is another inspired workout, with the band hitting a good groove and rocking it for all it’s worth. The remaining three jams, however, despite the fine musicianship on display, are meandering and unmemorable—they don’t really GO anywhere. But to be fair to the band, none of these jam sessions were originally intended for commercial release. Still, “Acoustic Jam” & “Slow Jam #2″ DO work, and like the regular album itself, they show what Clapton, Winwood & the boys were capable of when they were cookin’ together.Blind Faith’s light shined much too briefly, but at least they left behind a terrific album before all was said and done. Most of the bonus material on this deluxe edition compliments the original record quite nicely, so if you’re a big fan of this album, then this is certainly worth getting. 32 years later, “Blind Faith” is still a rock gem.

Review by Michael D. Williams:

Like many a “baby boomer” I too am still a fan of Cream, Blind Faith and other Nineteen Sixties “Classic” rock bands. In addition to the rock music styles of the `60′s and intervening years, I also love many of the current styles of Alternative and Metal. Blind Faith was one of the excellent bands and albums to close out the decade. The other reviewers here have done a great job of pointing out the main points about the Blind Faith album. I agree with pretty much everything they say, but I would like to clear up a few slight errors, omissions, or misconceptions.

First, the original vinyl LP released in August 1969 came with either of two different covers in the USA. ATCO SD 33-304A had the infamous “Nude Girl with Airplane” cover, and ATCO SD 33-304B had the “Band Picture” cover (Note: Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker posing with the “incorrect” instruments.) At the time I did not know I had purchased the “clean” version. I did not even find out about the “naughty” jacket until I got curious about the “B” in the catalog number. Later, for many years the “Nude Girl” cover seems to have became only common on import pressings of the album (different catalog numbers as well). The retailers had indicated to Atlantic Records that they would not stock the album with the nude cover so a second cover was put out. This situation is similar to the US vs foreign releases of the Jimi Hendrix Experience album “Electric Ladyland.”

Second, Rick Grech (Bass, Violin) had been a member of Family, Steve Winwood (Piano, Organ, Vocals) came from Traffic, and both Eric Clapton (Guitar) & Ginger Baker (Drums) were from Cream.

Third, In addition to the two basic versions of the Blind Faith (1990) Polydor 825 094 CD featured here on Amazon, I know of a third. There is the standard six-track version on one CD that is exactly like the original LP. I agree, if it were not for the oddball long Ginger Baker piece “Do What You Like,” the album even on vinyl, let alone CD would have been an EP. Then there is the 2CD “Deluxe Edition” (2001) Polydor 314 549 529-2 with 5 extra tracks on the first disk and four long Jams on the second disk, also available from Amazon. This two disk CD set pretty much covers the recorded output of Blind Faith. There is a (probable bootleg) 2 CD set of Blind Faith alternate takes called “Rehearsals,” but I do not have it or know the contents. But I came across a third CD version of Blind Faith on RSO Records from West Germany. This import version of Blind Faith (1986) RSO (W. Germany) 825 094-2 includes two extra tracks not found on the 2 CD Polydor set. It has songs called “Exchange and Mart” and “Spending All My Days.” Personally I am not sure these are truly Blind Faith songs. They just don’t sound right, especially the guitar and drums. They sound more like Rick Grech and Steve Winwood demos. Specifically, I think what I hear is Rick playing Bass & Violin, and Steve playing everything else, Keyboards, Guitar, Drums. Yes, multitracked and overdubbed, but with out Eric or Ginger. Also the late listed recording date of October 1969 makes me suspicious. The known recording dates otherwise for Blind Faith were from February 20 to June 28, 1969. The band broke up in November. If anyone out there knows any more about these or other “extra” Blind Faith songs, please let the rest of us know.

Review by kireviewer:

This is a collaboration that produced a once in a lifetime classic. This group could not repeat or maintain the success of this one output. This album was made during what was probably the most creative and exciting period in the history of rock. Musicians were shedding old bands and traditional pop/rock. New bands and one time collaborations were being formed from pieces of old bands. There was a lot of experimentation and new sounds were being created. The range of rock music was expanded beyond the three minute hit. The record companies were paying for, FM radio (which was just emerging in the US) was playing it and people were enjoying it. Blind Faith was Steve Winwood from Traffic, Rich Grech from Family and Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker from Cream. This album was their only official output. It has a very unique sound that matches Winwood’s blues/soul vocals with Clapton’s straight ahead rock. All of the songs, the music and every other aspect of this album are very strong. There isn’t a weak spot in the whole project. Clapton has some very nice guitar parts, Winwood’s organ soars in places and Grech adds some extra depth with a violin solo.Besides this album, Blind Faith recorded a few extra tunes which can be found on various anthologies, like Eric Clapton’s Crossroads. Any of the leftover tunes would have been out of place on this album. Blind Faith also went on a US tour that was supposed to be a disaster. This band without Clapton, but with a number of other musicians did go onto to appear on Ginger Baker’s Airforce’s first album (a live double LP). The sound is quite different with some African influences, but they do play “Do What You Like”. It is a fun album that is worth seeking out. Note that some versions of this CD have two extra songs: “Exchange and Mart” is a nice instrumental, featuring violin, that almost fits in with the original material. “Spending My Time” is a terrible Clapton tune that could use some serious reworking.

Review by TeensReadToo.com:

It was bad enough when fifteen-year-old Liz Scattergood’s grandmother, Bunny, died. It’s even worse now that her mother seems to have gone crazy. For weeks her mom wouldn’t get out of bed, wouldn’t eat dinner with Liz and her father, wouldn’t even brush her hair. Although Liz understands that her mother and Bunny had a special bond, were more like sisters, in fact, than mother and daughter, Liz doesn’t understand the extreme depression. That was almost preferable, though, to what happens when her mother snaps out of her funk and finally leaves the darkened comfort of her bedroom. Because now she’s found religion–or, in this case, Spiritualism, where the congregation and leaders believe they can communicate with the spirits of the dead.

After her mom’s first visit to Singing Creek, the Spiritualist Church, she comes home acting alive for the first time in weeks. Liz is curious enough to agree to accompany her the following Saturday, but Liz’s dad is none too pleased with the developments. For him, religion is filled with hypocrites and fools, and the crazies that attend Singing Creek are the worst of the lot–they hold out hope to those who have lost someone they love, convincing them that they can really “talk” to the dearly departed’s spirit.

For Liz, these new arguments of her parent’s is shaking up her once comfortable life. Added to that is the new family who has moved in across the street. There’s Courtney, [...]and a total joy, and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who always seems so angry. Their mother, Lily, is dying of leukemia and has come home to spend her final days with her mother, dubbed by Liz as Mrs. Crabby. As Liz enters into a tenuous friendship with Nathan bordering on a first love, and takes Courtney under her wing, she’s confused by her father’s anger, her mother’s obsession with communicating with her dead mother, and the fact that life in Tobias isn’t as calm and easy as she’d always believed it to be.

Ms. Wittlinger has penned a beautiful story in BLIND FAITH. This is the story of hope and faith, of love and loss, of life and death. As Liz fights to understand why she doesn’t have the same type of bond with her mom that her mother had with Bunny, as Nathan and Courtney learn to live without their mother, and as everyone involved learns how important it is to always have hope, these two families will be forever entwined. A very heartfelt, tender story, you won’t go wrong reading BLIND FAITH.

Review by Michelle:

I’m not good at summarizing so I’m not but Blind Faith is really good. The plot of the book is about something that I’ve never read about before, I’m pretty sure it’s very rare but it is very good. It’s sad but not extremely (I didn’t cry or anything) and I finished it in just a few days (which is good for me since I don’t have much time on my hands) RECOMMEND IT!!

Review by Mike Lennon:

It seems that all the books on low risk investing emphasize picking good companies or funds and keeping them for a long period of time. Blind Faith is different.I’d love to be stress or worry free but traditional Cd’s and money markets pay so little and I certainly don’t believe that corporate America has cleaned up its act. This book taught me another investment strategy and discussed in detail investments that I never heard of before like market-linked CDs. I enjoyed the authors cynical approach and found the book to be entertaining as well as enlightening.

Review by Janice Kidd:

Blind Faith is a behind-the-scenes critique of the information relied upon by most market analysts. Helpful are Winslow’s recommended mechanisms to preserve (at least) the principal value of your investments. Wish I had this knowledge years ago. Buy the book and be ready to take off the blinders.

Review by Phil Rogers:

The Troggs are almost considered a one-hit wonder for their famous “Wild Thing” [not to be confused with Tone-Loc's song of the same title]. Who else had a sound with a tasty metallic edge, and also managed to get all the way to #1 on the charts with a truly funny seduction song? (The Kinks “A Well Respected Man” and Dedicated Follower of Fashion” were more at social satire, and thus ‘half-serious’; plus they didn’t make it all the way to #1. But doesn’t “A Well Respected Man” have an utterly astonishing sound to it!?!?) In our new era of nearly indestructible media, it’s conceivable that “Wild Thing” will live forever . . . any healthy 10-year old [or hormone-raging teenager] hearing it from now until eternity will instantly identify with, and cherish it.What’s not usually known about the Troggs is possibly the most titillating rock song of all time ["I Can't Control Myself"], and possibly the best slow love ballad of the psychedelic era ["Love is All Around"]. The lyrics and the playing/singing of “I Can’t Control Myself” still get my chakras spinning pretty fast. Some well-crafted rhymed lines (there are plenty more good ones): “your slacks are low and your hips are showing”; “this kind of feeling can move a nation” – but it’s also how they are sung, and how they jam out from their musical context. The song is a strong tonic. To hell with Viagra . . . just play this song a few times!And “Love is All Around” still makes me melt. What are its nearest rivals for best radio rock ballad of the late 60′s? Right off the bat I think of “Time of the Season” by the Zombies, which, however, is a little quick-paced to be considered a true ballad, as is Johnny Rivers’ “Summer Rain”. There’s “Get Together” by the Youngbloods, truly a heavyweight contender. Tommy James and the Shondells had a brace of terrific slow tunes. The Rascals’ offerings, however, are also a bit too quick-paced to qualify. What about “Something” by the Beatles? “Something” (by the Beatles) is like a 60′s upgrade (gorgeous as it is) of Bing Crosby (gorgeous as he sounded some twenty years before); it is good enough that it easily transcends the era from which it has sprung. For our purposes, the Troggs’ ballad goes one better, serving as a steady conduit by which the sense of eternity which expressed itself in late-sixties music and culture can still be heard and felt (especially by many of those who lived it). It channels the energy of the late sixties like a true icon of the era, as much as “Something” overflows those half-dreamed boundaries. The greatness of the Beatles’ multi-temporal eclecticism notwithstanding, my vote goes to “Love is All Around”.And let’s not forget that the Troggs were one of the inventors of British punk . . . which as it were, was not really invented, but sort of ‘sprang from the earth’. The Who, the Kinks and Them came before the Troggs; and we can’t forget the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Yardbirds [though these three had a more bluesy than a metallic edge]. Then there were literally dozens, possibly even scores of American bands (starting in ’66 or even earlier) playing off the energy and sounds of these influential British oracles.By the way, (if you have never listened to it) the song “Night of the Long Grass” is NOT to be missed!

Review by Tad Nastic:

The review title refers to what this CD consists of: This influential band’s first 9 singles along with their flipsides chronologically ordered. I gave this CD five stars because even the flipsides are great (e.g., “I Want You”, “As I Ride By”). Simple and raw mostly. Caveman rock (a precursor to the punk sound). Other influences? “Give It To Me” sounds like a pre-evolved Bay City Roller’s “Saturday Night.” Also: a Troggs session was recorded with the band bickering in the studio (available elsewhere as the Trogg Tapes), which supposedly became the inspiration for the movie “Spinal Tap.” I mention this only because “Love is All Around” reminds me of Tap’s “Flower People” and the rest of the CD sounds like 60′s alternatives to “Big Bottom.” Not necessarily the music, but the mind-set is pretty much in the same place. Much more than “Wild Thing,” but more of the same, as well.

Review by :

This is the best compilation of the Troggs’ singles available. It contains all their single A sides and a few B sides from their first single release in 1965, Lost Girl, to the mid 70s. Another positive is that all the songs are the original recordings, not re-recordings or remixes.All the hits, including Wild Thing, With A Girl Like You and Love Is All Around, are there along with the singles which failed to chart but some of which certainly deserved to be hits.This is recommended for all genuine Troggs fans.

Review by Mike Reed:

Anyone remember/OR have that Rhino 2-CD release ‘Best Of The Troggs’? This 3-CD box set sort of reminds me of that,only of course more outstanding Troggs cuts that many of us hardly remember. Total of 79 tracks here, so it takes awhile to listen to. Songs that barely began to scratch the surface are “Lost Girl”,”Wild Thing”,”With A Girl Like You”,”Love Is All Around”,”Evil Woman”,”Feels Like A Woman”,their Beach Boys cover “Good Vibrations”,Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue”,”Every Little Thing”,the list goes on. Great British Invasion rock&roll,a true keeper. Would make a nice gift.

Review by :

This is not original band members and therefor the sounds is not what it should sound like. Instead, try to listen to “The Troggs – hit single anthology” Fontana 848 164-2. A fan in Stockholm

Review by :

I thought I was buying egg nog. It turned out to be skim milk. The songs are remakes, and the charm of the original songs has been completely lost. I feel burned.

Review by Mike Reed:

Nice CD reissue of the Trogg’s very first album,originally released in 1966.Oh,the memories!Tunes I could hardly get enough of were “Wild Thing”,”Hi Hi Hazel”,the over-looked(sort to speak)gem “Lost Girl”,”When I’m With You” and their cover of the frat rock staple “Louie Louie”.Wish I had a dime for every band that covered this tune.Also,the CD’s five bonus tracks are pretty good,liked the way they’re all in mono.Long live the first British Invasion!A good find.

Review by Steve Vrana:

Like many early British Invasion bands (the Yardbirds, the Who, Rolling Stones and Them), the original Animals were a hard-driving R&B band featuring the gritty vocals of Eric Burdon and the trademark organ playing of Alan Price.This 15-track collection hits the group’s highlights from its two-year stay on Britain’s EMI. [Note: Although all the Animals' hits throughout the Sixties were distributed by MGM in America, the band switched labels in the UK to Decca in 1966. That's why the Decca singles "Inside Looking Out" and "Don't Bring Me Down" are not on this set. Also, this album was originally released in February 1966--four months before "Don't Bring Me Down" was even released.]The centerpiece of this collection is Alan Price’s four-and-a-half-minute arrangement of “House of the Rising Son,” and despite its length shot to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. It would be the band’s only No. 1 single.Unlike most of the British Invasion bands with lengthy chart careers, the Animals seldom wrote their own material. The only exception is the Burdon-Price collaboration “I’m Crying.” For the rest of their material they turned to the likes of John Lee Hooker (“Boom Boom” and “Dimples”), Fats Domino (“I’m in Love Again”), Sam Cooke (“Bring It on Home to Me) and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (“We Gotta Get out of This Place”) among others.By 1967 the rest of the original Animals were gone. Burdon formed a new version of the Animals and entered his psychedelic phase (“Montery,” “Sky Pilot”). But this Abkco release features the original lineup and as such, the group’s best material. If you want more of the original band’s work, consider Complete Animals. At 40 tracks it includes virtually all of the Animals’ first three U.S. albums along with various B-sides and unreleased material. But if you’re on a budget, The Best of the Animals will do just fine. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Review by Johnny Heering:

The Animals were one of the best groups of the British Invasion. So why aren’t they as highly thought of as, say, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who or The Kinks? Because unlike those other groups, The Animals didn’t have a great songwriter within their group. In fact, only one song on this “Best of” was actually written by the group. But regardless of who wrote them, these are great songs. This album (originally released in 1973), features all The Animals chart hits through 1965, plus some well selected album tracks. This is terrific stuff. One thing I need to mention is that, despite the writing credits, “I’m in Love Again” is not the old Fats Domino hit, but is a different song entirely. Also, for those of you who care about such things, this CD is in mono. I highly recommend this CD, especially to fans of the British Invasion.

Review by J. Lesley:

This set was a special request from my 8 year old granddaughter for one of her Christmas gifts. It took me forever to figure out just what she was talking about. Even when I saw the picture of the product here on Amazon I still had trouble understanding why she would want these. It turned out they were all the rage at school.

When she opened the package on Christmas day her eyes lit up like stars. There were 6 different shapes in this package, 24 in total, all very recognizable animals. She thoroughly enjoyed using them as jewelry (bracelets for arms and legs) and in the way you would usually use string to make various shapes of string art. They also function completely well as an actual rubber band.

There really isn’t much to this product and yet it seems to be a very resilient product which gives hours of fun. The bands spring back into their original shape after being stretched out and indeed, one band was left on a doll’s wrist for a month and resumed it’s shape when I found it and removed it. I now have a purple puppy of my very own. Or until my grandgirl comes over and finds it!

Review by T. Merrill:

Brainchild charged me immediately upon my order. 6 weeks later I still have nothing to show, and Brainchild has been completely unresponsive to any contact.

Review by ThinkAboutFood:

The buzz about this book was so incredible I had to get my hands on an advanced copy. The book is like nothing else ever written on the food industry. It reads like a novel, is funny, incredibly well documented, and lets factory farmers and animal activists speak in their own words. I’ve read a lot of books on the food industry and this is by far the best. It makes other writers, even Michael Pollan, look a bit timid. Foer never preaches. He shares his own beliefs and asks us to live by our own standards, not his. Foer reveals a lot of personal information here and, since this is his first nonfiction book, it its especially interesting for readers of his previous books to see some of the fact behind his fiction. The material about his grandmother and how she survived the holocaust is really powerful. The stuff about his dog George (Foer makes a mock case for eating dogs) is hilarious. His storytelling is so compelling that you hardly realize how much information he’s conveying (there are 60 pages of notes documenting his sources, but the text itself is uncluttered by footnotes). Another unique thing about this book is that Foer actually sneaks into a factory farm in the middle of the night… Eating Animals is a serious book that could change the way you live. But what’s most impressive about it is that it is also fun to read, which is exactly what we need on a hot button topic like the contemporary food industry.

Review by Glenn Gutterman:

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I identified with Foer as a person who really tries to eat ethically, but whose weaknesses often get the best of him. I’ve had strong intuitions that there is something wrong with Meat today, but, like Foer reports of his own journey, those intuitions have not been strong enough for me to really change what I eat. The woman in my life, by contrast, has been a vegetarian for over a decade and never wavers. Of the many changes I’ve made to accommodate our relationship, giving up meat was never one of them. I’ve generally let the smell of bacon silence any discomfort I had with meat. That is, until reading Eating Animals. Foer’s personal narrative spoke to me more than any of the many exposes on factory farming slyly sent my way. At the same time, Eating Animals left me far more informed than I was before … It’s the standard cliché, but I really couldn’t put the book down. In place of the didactic or moralistic, Foer welcomes the reader into his life and his story. Foer is his own main character, and his own self-examination inspires the same. You won’t be the same after reading it.

Review by Scott Ericson:

For those who have suffered through not so great to just plain terrible compilations (including some of those old LPs with almost unrecognizable versions of the old Animals standards) there is finally a compilation that you can trust, and is well done, plus pretty comprehensive. Most of the debate has been on the early songs, and “We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place” in particular. This IS the US version of that song (with the lyric “My Little Girl You’re So Young and Pretty”). All of the other early singles check out pretty much right in line with the times on the original MGM label 45 rpm records, with one (good) exception: “House of the Rising Sun.” This CD is an ABKCO release, and they also re-released most (if not all) of the early Animals 45′s sometime in the 70′s or 80′s on light blue abkco labels. “House of the Rising Sun” came back there as the UK single version (4:18) with the long organ solo and ending intact (House also charted two additional times in the UK in 1972 and 1982). The original US MGM single (K13264) and radio play version chopped out most of the organ solo plus faded out the end before the final verse for a total time of 2:58. The playing time of ‘House’ on this CD is 4:31 (the song is exact, the 45 rpm disc just tracks 13 seconds faster). I think most fans prefer the “full length” version as presented here, but for the adamant (US) original singles collector, you now know.

I’m not as familiar with the Eric Burdon & War era singles (except to note that “Sky Pilot” is the full 7 minute version, and for the 45 single, the song was split into part 1 on one side and part 2 on the other), so hopefully someone else will comment on that.

This is a great collection, get it and enjoy!

Review by Lawrance M. Bernabo:

There are so many greatest hits collections of the best of the Animals that at first glance “Retrospective” just seems like the latest in a long line of such albums going back to ABKCO’s 1966 collection of “The Best of the Animals.” A reasonable person could be content as long as their CD has “House of the Rising Sun,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” and “We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place.” But for fans who see the Animals as the second best English R&B group of the British Invasion after the Rolling Stones, this 22-track collection deserves prime consideration if no other reason than all of the tracks come from the ABKCO masters and utilize Direct Stream Digital (which is what ABKCO successfully used in the Rolling Stones albums reissued in 2003). Yes, it is a pain when you get albums and then a few years later they are digitally remastered or whatever to make them sound even better than before, but maybe your dog will eat your Animals CD or you will lend it to a friend who never returns anything and you will need a new one, which will justify your picking up “Retrospective.”

Of course the Animals were more than their three greatest hits (but those are three really good songs for one group to have recorded), and “Retrospective” is a reminder of that. They had “Baby Let Me Take You Home” (#21 in the U.K.) before “House of the Rising Sun” hit #1 in the U.S., and while Eric Burdon was always the group’s front man it is Hilton Valentine’s guitar riff and Alan Price’s organ playing that really makes that song work. In terms of U.S. chart success the group had “I’m Crying” (#19) in 1964 and then in 1965, “Boom Boom” (#43), “Bring It On Home to Me” (#32), “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (#15), and “We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place” (#13), which in this collection is the original U.S. single version. The follow year they charted “Don’t Bring Me Down” (#12), “Help Me Girl” (#29), “Inside-Looking Out” (#34), “It’s My Life” (#23), and “See See Ryder” (#10).

By 1967 Eric Burdon & the Animals were clearly into their psychadelic phase (if this were an LP you would think it was time to flip over to the B Side). “San Fransiscan Nights” (#9) was the last Top Ten hit for the Animals, followed by “When I Was Young” (#15), and then in 1968 “Anything” (#80), “Monterey” (#15), and “Sky Pilot (Part One)” (#14), and “White Houses” (#67). The album ends with a radio edit of “Spill the Wine” as a sort of musical answer to the question, “Whatever happened to Eric Burdon?” after the group essentially broke up in 1969. So, overall, “Retrospective” does have all of the group’s hits, at least those defined by making the Billboard singles chart, which explains why I have started listening to more of their songs than the big three.

Review by Beth A. Boal:

I bought this toy for my then-16-month old son who loves to play with magnets on the fridge. This set comes with five animals in two pieces, head and tail, per animal. What I liked about this toy is that it reinforces when a match has been made, BUT if a child isn’t developmentally able to do that yet, it makes up a name for the animal the child has “created” by mismatching the tail and head (for example, a “sheep-cow”). I liked that it saw a mismatch as silly rather than wrong… good for very little ones who have low frustration levels. This is a quality toy, with clear sound and easy-to-grasp pieces… I’m a picky person when it comes to toys, and I highly recommend this one!

Review by Karen:

My 2-year old received this as a gift for her birthday. She loves it. At first, her favorite part was just pressing the “Farmer Leap” button so that she could dance to the music, but then she realized that it was a “puzzle” and started putting animal pieces in. I thought it would be great because even if she got the wrong animals put together, it would still sing a “silly” song for her. But to my surprise, she only likes to put the animals together the correct way. My 4-year old, however, thinks its funny to put the animals together the incorrect way. They both love it, and the 4-year old enjoys listening to the animal facts – even though she knew most of them already. They also like to carry it around like it’s a portable radio, and listen to the music and dance.

For those parents that might be concerned as I was, about the strength of the magnets holding up the weight of this toy on the fridge – don’t worry! It really sticks well! I thought it would be falling off constantly, but unless the kids are REALLY yanking/pushing/pulling on it, it stays put. Yet, the handle makes it easy enough for them to remove by themselves if they want to take it elsewhere. Also, it has two levels of volume.

Our family loves this toy!

Review by Peter Durward Harris:

The Animals, a group that included Eric Burdon and Alan Price, were the first major pop stars to emerge from Newcastle, a city located about 300 miles north of London, therefore far removed from where most talent scouts were searching. It is fortunate for us all that the Animals were discovered because they recorded some of the best R+B music to come of the UK in the sixties.

Their biggest hit was House of the rising sun, a re-working of a folk song (apparently inspired by Josh White’s version of the song) that gave them a transatlantic number one hit. They had five other top ten UK hits with Mickie Most, these being I’m crying, Don’t let me be misunderstood (a cover of a Nina Simone song), Bring it on home to me (a Sam Cooke cover), We gotta get out of this place (the version included here is the UK version – a markedly different recording was released in America but was unavailable for inclusion in this set) and It’s my life.

Apart from their singles, the Animals recorded many other covers including Boom boom, Dimples, I’m mad again (all John Lee Hooker), Around and around, Memphis Tennessee, How you’ve changed (all Chuck Berry), I’m in love again, I’ve been around (both Fats Domino), Talking about you, Hallelujah I love her so and I believe to my soul (all Ray Charles). These covers clearly demonstrate what their main influences were, but they also wrote some of their own songs.

All the music I’ve mentioned so far and much more can be found on this excellent compilation. Nevertheless, despite the title of the compilation, it isn’t actually their complete recordings – there is a sub-text explaining that these are the complete recordings that they made with Mickie Most as producer, although the liner notes describe their whole career. After the split, they switched to another record label, where they had some success using the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, including two more UK top ten hits (Don’t bring me down, San Franciscan nights) and several lesser hits, all of which can be found elsewhere (search for Eric Burdon). Alan Price left the group before the split with Mickie Most and had several hits as a solo singer. These are also outside the scope of this collection but are easy to find.

This complete collection (apart from the American version of We’ve got to get out of this place) of the first and most important part of the Animals’ career may be more than some people want – there are single CD collections available if you just want the hits – but if, like me, you like to explore beyond the hits, this is for you.

Review by Robert Moore:

First, ignore the oldest, 3-star review here. If this is a 3-star album, then so is BLONDE ON BLONDE. With just a couple of changes in the development of modern rock, the Animals might be considered one of the ten greatest bands of all time. It is hard today to realize how much the success of the Beatles changed music in general, and the British music scene in particular. In 1963, all the great British bands were cover bands; no band did songs of their own composition. The Beatles themselves, the Stones, The Animals, Manfred Mann, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, the Yardbirds, The Who, all were primarily cover bands. What did they cover? American music, mainly blues, Chuck Berry, R&B, Buddy Holly, some Elvis, and various odds and ends. But none of them were covering their own music. The Beatles, however, shook things up by performing songs that they wrong themselves. By 1964, more and more bands were relying on songs of their own composition. In 1965, and Bob Dylan’s HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED, the age of the cover band was over. You either wrote your own material, or you faded away. The history of early British rock can be told in terms of those bands in which a songwriter or writers emerged, and those in which one didn’t. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger discovered that they could write, as did Pete Townshend, and Ray Davies of the Kinks. But the Animals, Manfred Mann, the Yardbirds, and John Mayall never developed songwriters, and faded from the scene. The Beatles changed the rules for rock and roll success. In 1963, the rule was that you were a great band if you were a great cover band. In 1965, you had to write your own stuff.None of this should obscure the fact that The Animals were a flat out great band. True, they did virtually nothing but covers, but they were spectacular covers. All members of the band were superb, but the band centered around the incredible singing of Eric Burdon and the amazing keyboards of the legendary Alan Price. The diminutive Burdon possessed perhaps the finest British Invasion voice excluding Northern Ireland (i.e., Them’s Van Morrison). His voice expressed a range of emotion and had a resonance that most of the other singers lacked. And unlike some performers who seemed almost to be doing parodies of the blues classics, Burdon sang them with an honesty and authenticity that is just astonishing. Musically, the Animals were driven far more by keyboards than by guitar, and Alan Price was the driving force in their sound. Switching between organ and piano, Price was without peer as a rock keyboardist until the advent of The Band and before the degradation of the organ by pretentious performers like Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. No keyboard work in anything by Yes or ELP or ELO can even remotely match the simplicity, passion, and musicianship that one finds in the Animals finest songs.The songs are great. Many, many American R&B songs from the 1950s, some blues numbers, and some marvelously judicious selections from recent (i.e., in 1964) songwriters, though their greatest hit was a reworking of Leadbelly’s version of “The House of the Rising Sun.” There are many compilations of the Animals, but this one is definitely the one to get. Others have only the hits, but the great things about the Animals is that many of their less well known songs are nearly as good as “House of the Rising Sun,” “It’s My Life,” “We Gotta Get Out of this Place,” or “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” Note: In the Amazon listing, they have Disc 1 and Disc 2 reversed.

Review by D. Martin:

Schoolcraft (onn Church Street) has packs of 12 for .99!!! Zoo animal packs and farm animal packs

Review by rino the crane:

My son (of age 7) had 2 packs of this silly banz in other shapes, but begged me for a new one in dragon shape. I ordered it with 2-day shipping, which is supposed to arrive in the winter storm day. To our surprise, it arrived one day earlier at night (shortly before 9pm est). My son was thrilled, and I thank Amazon for the ensured service. Also, I can buy this from local stores with about the same price; but they normally don’t carry all kinds of shapes.

Review by Julie Neal:

Three hundred and sixty-eight pages, no pretty pictures, and it’s about food? Yes it is, and it’s fascinating. Written by best-selling novelist Barbara Kingsolver, her scientist hubby and teenage daughter, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” chronicles the true story of the family’s adventures as they move to a farm in rural Virginia and vow to eat locally for one year. They grow their own vegetables, raise their own poultry and buy the rest of their food directly from farmers markets and other local sources. There are touching human stories here (the family’s 9-year-old learns a secret to raising chickens for food: don’t name them!) but the book’s purpose is serious food for thought: it argues the economic, social and health benefits of putting local foods at the center of a family diet. As Kingsolver details the family’s experience month-by-month, husband Steven adds sidebars on the problems of industrial agriculture and daughter Camille tosses in some first-person essays (“Growing Up in the Kitchen”) and recipes (“Holiday Corn Pudding a Nine-Year-Old Can Make”).

And it is all so well written! Kingsolver can veer way off topic — wandering off into subjects like rural politics, even turkey sex — and still, somehow, stay right on point. Her husband can say more in two pages than some professors I know can say in 200, and the daughter’s writings… well I often couldn’t tell who was writing what without checking for the byline.

The book looks and feels great, too. The dust jacket has been pressed into the nubby texture of burlap. The pages have ragged edges, which makes them soft on your fingers.

Reading this book, drinking my Phosphoric Acid Diet Coke and snacking on some Partially Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil Walt Disney World Hungry Heroes Yogurt Pretzels, I suddenly felt like I was a kid again, sitting in my bedroom in 1969 listening to that Joni Mitchell “Woodstock” lyric: “Time to get back to the land, and set my soul free.” Now that song is stuck back in my head! Maybe it should have never left.

Review by J. Canestrino:

I work in large-scale, corporate agriculture. Over the years I have worked for chemical companies, seed companies, grower-shippers and allied industries. I have recommended Kingsolver’s novel “The Poisonwood Bible” to many of my colleagues. I have also endorsed Pollan’s “Ominovore’s Dilemma”, having bought several copies and distributed them around. I very much enjoyed Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life”. It contained all the wit and humor I would expect from one of this nation’s finest novelists. I think this book as well as Pollan’s are a bit weak in the plant science area and I think both lack some of the insights into the machinations that really drive some of the food production industries. Then, again their intended audience is not the readers of TAG: Theoretical and the Applied Genetics, it is the populace at large. I very much agree with the sentiment of eating local, of shopping local, and of the slow food movement. It puts money back into the local community, it fosters a sense of community and it improves the quality of our diets. What is local though? Many of the fruits and vegetables eaten during Kingsolver’s year of eating locally do not have Virginia as their center of origin. Some purists might cry foul. But, I think the focus needs to be on breaking the transport chain. People need to rediscover what a fresh peach or tomato is supposed to taste like, and their proper season. The bulk of the ‘civilized’ world buy their food at a chain grocery store dominated by one of the multinational grocery conglomerates. You think you have a choice when you walk into the store? You do not. That choice was made by a buyer probably at some regional DC (distribution center) who purchased the fruit from a packing shed sight unseen, and certainly did not taste it. And, their main concern was not taste, it was making sure the fruit had a minimum level of sugar, since it is picked under ripe, and that it was firm enough to withstand many hundreds of miles in a truck. It is too bad, because I know the farmers want to produce a high quality product. And, I know the shippers want to ship fruits and vegetables that taste good. But they must bow to the buyers and market forces. In the California cherry industry, about half the fruit is exported each year, but it accounts for well over half the revenue because it is a ‘high value’ market. By my recent calculations, it takes 7.75 calories of fuel for every calorie of cherries flown from SFO to Tokyo. That is just the flight, it does not include any other production or transportation energy costs. Does that sound like sustainable agriculture? Do you really need those Chilean cherries or that asparagus from Peru in December?

Review by Ivan K. Samuelson:

First off, I love Animal House. There is no reason for me to even explain the movie. Animal House and the Blues Brothers are the best Landis/Belushi movies of all time. There are some special features such as a “Where are they now” featurette featuring many of the original cast (except Belushi of course). But, even those features and this excellent movie cannot save this DVD from a one-star rating.

As others have stated, not being able to skip the adds at the beginning of the DVD is a poor marketing decision. They did the same with American Wedding, but at least, I can hit stop on my DVD player to stop the DVD, whereas with Animal House, I have to turn off my DVD player. Very poor.

I have already written to Universal Studios about my displeasure with their decision for both Animal House and American Wedding and have informed them that unless they change their tactics, I refuse to purchase another Universal DVD release and that hundreds of other purchasers feel the same, based on reviews at Amazon.com.

Stay away from this if you absolutely feel that not being able to skip the adds is wrong. Otherwise, be prepared to sit through 5+ minutes of commercials for other Universal movies. Your best bet is to go make some popcorn and come back. At that point, it should be done and then you can enjoy this excellent, funny parody of life in a frat house in the late 60s.

Toga! Toga! Toga!

Review by David J. Pinch:

Universal has decided to shove advertisements down our throats. Viewers CANNOT skip past the advertisements. You cannot skip to the DVD menu/title, nor can you jump to any chapters until the long previews have been completed. This is insane. Boycott this DVD.

Review by Angry Mofo:

Massive Attack albums are rarely immediate. Same with Heligoland: at first, the synths at the beginning of “Splitting The Atom” and “Flat Of The Blade” sound off-key and simplistic. I heard the three-note lead in “Paradise Circus” and wondered how on earth that simple sound could sustain a five-minute song.

But when I listened to “Paradise Circus” a few times, my perception started to change. The clattering, echoing drum track combined with the lead to create an eerie atmosphere. Above all, the song has possibly the most intimate vocal performance of any Massive Attack song. Hope Sandoval’s voice is scratchy, but the way you can hear every minute shift in her throat, together with the deliberately slow pace of the vocal, gives an impression of a wide-awake, intensely focused late-night rumination. It’s a remarkably sexy song, but it also expresses uncomfortable qualms: the lyrics say that “the devil makes us sin,” and that’s exactly how the song sounds, like someone giving in to temptation, but feeling uneasy about possible divine repercussions.

The entire album is characterized by this subtle feeling, like constantly looking back over one’s shoulder. Heligoland sounds softer and more electronic than, say, Mezzanine, without those overdriven guitars. But it also sounds much more swampy and dissonant (maybe “sullen” might be a good word to describe the tone of the drums in “Pray For Rain”) than Protection. This makes it difficult to like the album on the first listen, but at some point, one starts to appreciate the spooky, off-kilter atmosphere. The haunted-house keyboards and strings are somewhat reminiscent of The Knife’s Silent Shout, one of the best albums of the past decade.

And just when you think that the music sounds too simple, there’s some kind of twist. Toward the end of “Paradise Circus,” there is a break with soft strings, and after that, some dark, reverberating piano chords come in to very strong effect. The downtuned echo of the chimes opening “Pray For Rain” is both pretty and creepy. It is soon strangled by the overbearing drums; halfway through the song quiets down, then builds back up in a loud, dark drone, and then unexpectedly breaks into a more gentle-sounding plateau. Once you register everything that’s going on, you see how original it is. The keyboard lead in “Splitting The Atom” eventually sinks into a dreamy ambient outro. Many songs don’t end the way you expect them to.

“Girl I Love You” is also a lot more interesting than you might expect from the requisite Horace Andy song (especially one with such a generic title). It is similar to the classic “Angel,” it’s got the dub bass line, the reverb in the background, and the crashing, loud crescendo — but, incredibly, it does all of those things better than “Angel.” It’s a lot more energetic, with a fast dance beat. Instead of the grinding guitars (which were powerful, but honestly a bit plodding), there is what sounds like a brass section in a haunted circus. And it also helps that Horace Andy turns in his best, smoothest Massive Attack vocal yet — not bad for a guy who’s pushing sixty!

Unexpectedly, “Atlas Air” is Massive Attack’s most danceable song, with a bracing house beat and an awesome echoing, multi-layered keyboard hook. Even more unexpectedly, Robert Del Naja finally puts a new spin on his mumbling vocal style and sort of speak-sings to the rhythm. In the process, he gets backed by these amazing reverberating electronic chimes that contrast his voice perfectly and give it an ominous edge. Eventually, there’s a blaring noise breakdown. This song should be a hit.

I should say that Heligoland moves very far from Massive Attack’s hip-hop roots. Robert Del Naja only takes the lead on two songs, probably to compensate for hogging the limelight on 100th Window. Even then, he does no rapping, and instead prefers the restrained speak-singing style that I mentioned above. Grant Marshall gets one verse on “Splitting The Atom,” but even there he sort of recites the words without really rapping per se. As if to underscore the departure from rap, Heligoland brings in a bunch of other male singers, including Damon Albarn, who gives a reliably good, plaintive vocal performance on “Saturday Comes Slow,” which is good, but sounds a bit like a Blur ballad.

But then, we expect every Massive Attack album to be a departure, don’t we? The originality of Heligoland is more subtle than, say, the difference between Mezzanine and Protection, and takes time to really sink in. However, though the sullen, stifling production and deceptively simple melodies may throw one off at first, they actually conceal surprising, multi-segmented song structures and pinprick-inducing atmosphere.

Review by Del maro Maurizio:

2010 torniamo a parlare dei Massive Attack, il loro atteso album si può finalmente ascoltare.

Tornano insieme a timonare Robert Del Naja e Daddy G.

Come al solito non mancano di sorprendere, siamo davanti ad un’altra svolta artistica.

Difficile ripetere le atmosfere cupe, crepuscolari, rarefatte che si godevano dalla 100th Window.

Spunta un timido raggio di sole, il suono non è più così dilatato, complici ospiti illustri ; Tunde Adebimpe (Tv on the radio) Guy Garvey (Elbow) Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz…) ma non mancano i soliti noti Martina Topley Bird e l’onnipresente Horace Andy.

E’ un elettronica intrisa di influenze disparate quella che ci propongono i nostri ed il risultato non è del tutto omogeneo, si percepiscono spunti di Chemical Bros. che sfociano nel cantato dub di Horace Andy su piste di free jazz (Girl I love you) Spunta un timido raggio di sole, il suono non è più così dilatato, complici ospiti illustri ; Tunde Adebimpe (Tv on the radio) Guy Garvey (Elbow) Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz…) ma non mancano i soliti noti Martina Topley Bird e l’onnipresente Horace Andy.

E’ un elettronica intrisa di influenze disparate quella che ci propongono i nostri ed il risultato non è del tutto omogeneo, si percepiscono spunti di Chemical Bros.

Si respira però un aria scarna figlia di una produzione piu minimale, sonorità così più spoglie.

La sensazione ad un primo ascolto è che manchi qualcosa…

In Flat of the blade viene in mente il Thom Yorke solista.

Successivamente Paradise circus rapisce completamente con quei clap clap tanto cari ai Flaming Lips ed una linea di basso così oscura e penetrante come mai nell’album.

Saturday come slow inizia come un pezzo dei Gorillaz poi matura e si trasforma piano piano in quello che diverrà certo un classico dei Massive Attack.

Il disco finisce nel migliore dei modi con Atlas air, una base ritmica coinvolgente, uno straordinario organo e ancora un soffio di Chemical Bros.

In conclusione questo quinto lavoro dei padri del Trip-hop li vede attingere a piene mani ai tanti colleghi del panorama contemporaneo e non, (nel brano conclusivo c’è traccia anche di echi di Beatles, Tomorrow never knows) loro che hanno influenzato si dalla loro prima pubblicazione oggi si guardano un po’ intorno…

Review by Angry Mofo:

Although Massive Attack only released four albums in fifteen years, their musical ideas were usually ahead of their time, and set the tone for a lot of electronic music in the nineties. For instance, if you like Gorillaz, this compilation is really the blueprint for their fusion of rock, rap, and techno, as well as their use of different collaborators from album to album. Except Massive Attack were less flashy and more downbeat, and they drew just as heavily from soul and reggae as they did from those styles.

“Safe From Harm” embodies everything that they were trying to do. It has a powerful soul vocal at the centre, and contrasts it with repetitive, gravelly-voiced rapping from one of the band members. In the hands of Massive Attack, rap was very rhythmic and often fast, but never aggressive. They used it as just another way to set a mood. In this case, and in most other cases, the mood was one of impending doom. The ominous rapping suggested that danger was just around the corner, and the main vocal attempted to add a sense of lost innocence in the middle of this danger. Oh, and the song also has an incredible techno bassline, which made it popular in the clubs for a time. This combination of sounds may not sound revolutionary now, but this song alone basically created a style known as “trip-hop.” It was also ripped off by just about everyone in the next six years. Even Bjork jumped on the bandwagon in her song “Army Of Me.”

Massive Attack had a great talent for reinterpreting the past. Early on, they sent a demo tape to Horace Andy, a reggae singer who had already had a long and illustrious career in his native Jamaica by that point. The man offered to collaborate with them, and went on to do so on every one of the band’s albums. Usually, he covered such reggae standards as John Holt’s “Man Next Door” and his own “Spying Glass,” but Massive Attack gave these songs totally new sounds, emphasizing the unease expressed in the lyrics with their moody production. Unfortunately, neither “Man Next Door” nor my own personal favourite “One Love” is included on this CD, but “Angel” is. This is one of the band’s best songs. It starts with a slow, creeping bass line and a dreamy vocal introduction from Andy, but then suddenly breaks out into a crescendo of driving, distorted guitars sounding reminiscent of the Cure or the Sisters of Mercy, only heavier, more rhythmic and more powerful.

The band could make uplifting tracks too, once in a while, like “Unfinished Sympathy” from their first album, or “Teardrop” from their third, but they were more at home with dark, slow rhythms and lonely, romantic atmospheres. Even “Teardrop” sounds lost and vulnerable, due to a superb performance by Elizabeth Fraser, who had by then already received a lot of praise from critics for her singing in the indie band Cocteau Twins. The black flowers on the cover of this album are a good indication of the band’s aesthetic. The song “Blue Lines” from their first album, in which the band members took turns rapping, with impeccable rhythm, has precisely that kind of yearning, rainy-day mood. Unfortunately it’s not included here. However, “Risingson,” a bitter variation on the theme of failed love, is probably the best vocal performance by the band’s core members, and it is included.

As time went on, Massive Attack gravitated toward the more dissonant, rock-influenced sound of “Angel.” Since the theme and feel of their music was basically the same as before, this wasn’t really that big of a change, but it did lead to increasing creative differences within the band. By the time their fourth album came out, three of the four founding members had left. As a result, the album seemed like a bit of a retread, and wasn’t very well received by critics. This compilation may be an attempt to repair the band’s image and put the spotlight on their best work again. As you may have gathered, a lot of good songs are missing, and even the bonus disc in the limited edition doesn’t have all of their B-sides. If it were up to me, I would have added a few more album tracks and left off some of the singles. Actually, when I was starting to write this, I wanted to say something like, “Massive Attack were ultimately a singles band,” and as I was writing that I realized that it wasn’t really true.

But anyway, the album is still very good, and it ends with a sign that the band may not be finished yet. “Live With Me” is the token new song on the compilation, but it’s not only a good song, it’s their best song ever. Once again, the band calls in a veteran soul singer, Terry Callier this time, to lament about another failed love against a backdrop of strings and slow beats, but never has this combination sounded as good as it does here. Except now everybody is that much older, so instead of professing undying love, the song implores its subject, “Come live with me.”

Review by The Wasp:

It’s hard to tell who’s in and who’s out of the Massive Attack line-up these days (since Mushroom departed under a cloud in 1998 and Daddy G took a backseat on fourth album 100th Window, the name has generally become a dark and Gothic vehicle for sole founding member 3D), yet their legacy is assured thanks to their iconic 1991 debut Blue Lines and its staggering follow-up Protection.

A more compact musical overview than the earlier Singles Box: 1990-1998, Collected features 14 of the Bristol acts most popular moments with new tune Live With Me tagged on the end. Fans of the trio’s early singles such as Daydreaming and Hymn Of The Big Wheel may be disappointed by their absence on Collected, but later masterworks such as Angel and Future Proof are given the space to breathe on this disc of ominous rhythms.

While 3D’s sombre vocals are present on many of the key tracks, it is the appearances of guests that ensured Massive Attack truly soared. Tricky’s early success Karmacoma, Liz Fraser’s pristine additions to Teardrop and Shara Nelson’s powerful rendition on Safe From Harm open Collected in fine form, with Tracey Thorn, Horace Andy and Sinead O’Connor among the additional guests that follow. Although there’s a clash of styles as the paranoid vibe of Inertia Creeps bleeds into the mellow and sublime Protection, generally Collected acts as a fine introduction to the influential band that outgrew their berated trip hop label.

Collected is a sound investment by any greatest hits standard, but Massive Attack’s back catalogue deserves to be investigated at a deeper level once this record has been devoured and deconstructed.

Review by C.F. Stewart:

Review: Perhaps the smoothest, most rythmic album extant. Hypnotic, controlled, patient…the deep beat gently rocks you; the vocalists sing to you, about you, with you. The timing is pure; the feel natural, organic. History: With their roots in the Bristol, England, club scene of the early ’80s, the members of Massive Attack originated trip-hop, one of the most influential sound sof the ’90s, combining the rythmic urgency of hip-hop, the freewheeling samples of the DJ’s craft, soul-rich melodies, and dub-reggae’s hebty, intoxicating bottom end. The group began in 1983 as a loose collective of singers, rappers, DJs, and producers that stages parties under the name the Wild Bunch. Included in its ranks were Mushroom (Andrew Vowles) and Daddy G (Grant Marshall), as well as Nelleee Hooper (later of Soul II Soul, and a producer for Madonna, Bjork, and others), and Tricky. The Wild Bunch released a 1986 cover of Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love,” which became a European dance-club sensation, just as legal authorities began to clamp down on the Bristol party circuit. In 1987 graffiti artist 3-D (Robert Del Naja) joined Daddy G and Mushroom to form Massive Attack. A series of singles led to the 1991 release of Blue Lines, which featured an array of vocalists–including Shara Nelson, Tricky, and reggae singer Horace Andy–and promoted a somnambulatory beat that ran counter to the hyped-up dance rythms of techno.Importance: As a revolutionary force in music, this album is in the highest circle–with The White Album, Exile on Main Street, Astral Weeks, The Bends, The Velvet Underground and Nico, and the new Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, by Wilco.Further Listening: The only Massive Attack album which comes close to the pure form of Blue Lines is Mezzanine. Also, listen to Maxinquae, Tricky’s best solo effort, and Dummy by Portishead, the other ‘trip-hop’ classic.

Review by :

The members (and producers) of Massive Attack will always be known as THE pioneers of the trip-hop genre. Blue Lines swirls with snare drum beats, soft bass guitar, and other instrumentation that flows through and through like a dream of peace and proserity. As one reviewer described the “positive” aspect of this album, Blue Lines is the kind of album that gives inner calm. I relaxed and meditated with this album for months. Massive Attack’s debut produces a sedative effect on the listener, like soul food, and even brings back the spirit of the 1960′s that everything within should promote your consciousness to being a peacemaker and peacegiver. Songs like “Hymn of the Big Wheel” describe the plight of man’s short time on earth and how destiny shapes us all. “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” is a motown remake set to a reggae sounding beat and soft record LP scratchin’ (used in R&B and rap music), sounding much the same yet with modern vibe. “Unfinished Sympathy”, a U.K. hit single from this album is painfully beautiful and lyrically stunning about the lover that hurt you, but yet you still want them back (which fades out with a piano solo) “Like a soul without a mind/ in a body without a heart/ I’m missin’ every part” Every song on Blue Lines is a testament to the human existence (sex, love, for richer, for poorer, ecstasy, joy, remorse, jealousy, life…)

Review by Clarissa:

I am in complete accordance with those who say that ‘Mezzanine’ is a masterpiece but I also feel that ’100th Window’ is a worthy follow-up to such a classic. Is it better? Not really, but I hear a definite growth of experimentation in sound. I haven’t read any other reviews, however, I notice most of the ratings to be either 3 or 4 stars and I am left scratching my head, wondering why? My guess is many fans are having a difficult time getting into this album simply because the overall tempo is slower paced than the majority of their previous works, and perhaps your not used to hearing that from Massive Attack but, believe me, they’ve created some brilliant songs here. Just open your mind without any sort of expectation.

The mood throughout is rather somber with dark, atmospheric electronic dubs instead of funky trip-hop ones, and the inclusion of orchestrated instruments provide a cinematic feel that really seems to shade the melodies, accenting them chillingly. But by no means does ’100th Window’ tread into ambient territory. It would be best described as smooth electronica that will likely appeal to those who enjoy dance-tinged chillout music (visions of ice and snow come to mind when listening to this record). And replacing the sweet female vocalists Sara Jay and Elizabeth Fraser, who both sang on ‘Mezzanine’ when Andy Horace wasn’t (and you gotta love his unique style, which I find to be very sexy…in a strange kind of way), the more powerful yet ever gorgeous Sinead O’Connor guest sings on several cuts here; most notably “A Prayer For England” which comes on after a slightly more upbeat “Butterfly Caught”, a personal favorite of mine. My only complaint is that the album starts losing its luster a bit after track 6. However, given there’s only 9 songs in all, this evens out to be a winner in my book.

Review by S Matthews:

Owning all the previous Massive Attack albums I was awaiting this most recent instalment with great anticipation. In my opinion Massive Attack have, over the past decade, been honing and finely tuning their talents, extracting the finest moments of previous albums to make the next even more breathtaking. 100th Window appears to have benefited from exactly this, taking the most chilling and dark aspects of Mezzanine to produce their scariest album yet. This album has the ‘inertia creeps’ feel throughout with a hint of the east thrown in for good measure.There is no ‘teardrop’ equivalent on this album which some may find disappointing yet Sinead O’Conor’s vocals adequately compensate for the loss of Liz Fraser’s presence. The album also features what may be some of Horace Andy’s best performances to date, with a welcome softer approach.In all, this deeply layered and lush addition to Massive Attacks collection of LPs is well worth a listen, whether you’re a fan or not.

Review by Gillian L. Rosheuvel:

This album is often derided as the only misstep in the distinguished career of Massive Attack. True, it is not as immediate as “Blue Lines” or as coherent as “Mezzanine”, but “Protection” has an allure all its own. That the songs don’t seem to fit together is part of the album’s charm and appeal. Tracy Thorn kicks off the festivities with the epic title track, giving voice to one of the most poignant and evocative love (or is it anti-love) songs ever recorded. As is always the case with MA, the production is stellar and a harbinger of things to come (Thorn also turns up on the pleasant, but bland “Better Things”). 3-D and a pre-solo career Tricky share rapping duties on the harrowing “Karmacoma”, a stark, head nodding blend of rap and reggae. Billie Holliday sound alike, Nicolette takes over vocals on “Three”, seamlessly navigating the song’s watery groove. Scottish composer/producer Craig Armstrong makes the first of three appearances on this album with “Weather Storm”. It’s not MA’s strongest track, but it succeeds in creating a late night, quiet storm vibe. Elsewhere, Armstrong, conducts the strings on the amazing “Sly” (a Jungian tale sung with appropriate mysticism and mystery by Nicolette); and tickles the ivories on the new agish “Heat Miser”. Tricky and 3-D return to the mic on the sleek, city song “Eurochild”. MA regular Horace Andy appears on the sinewy “Spying Glass” (a reworking of his own tune “Spy Glass”), and the album closing live cover of the Doors’ “Light My Fire”. In both instances, his vocal stylings are a perfect compliment to MA’s reggae-oriented dance jams. Following up a masterpiece like “Blue Lines” was always going to be tricky (no pun intended); but with the all-over-the-map “Protection”, MA managed to move forward without sacrificing any of their originality or spirit.

Review by Adam Carroll:

Massive Attack corral together assorted vocalists and guest artists to form their 1994 effort Protection, and the mix of styles makes this album really shine. The CD starts off with the noted single “Protection,” featuring the rich voice of Tracey Thorn. Other songs incorporate the vocals of Tricky, Nicolette, and Horace Andy (as well as Massive’s own 3-d). While the vocalists’ differing styles lend themselves to different types of songs, a laid-back tempo and strong bass – guaranteed to satisfy the rhythm lover in you – unify the 10 songs on Protection. The two instrumental pieces, the jazzy “Weather Storm” and the mysterious “Heat Miser,” reinforce this theme. Bottom line: Protection is a solid, powerful, aptly titled release. Curl up on a winter’s night and let this album warm you.

Review by Timothy Swan:

Who could have ever thought it would have been possible? 09/09/09 has become a red-letter date in the history of Beatle-dom. It could be the repetitive nature of the phrase “Number Nine, Number Nine” featured in the track “Revolution 9″ from “The White Album”. Or, even the bit of dialogue “dial 9-9-9″ from the 1965 motion picture “Help!” However, 09/09/09 has become important for a far better reason.

After more than 22 years of having The Beatles’ albums on CD, we are finally treated to the definitive box set of Beatles music. This time, the folks at EMI and Apple finally got things right for a change. While having Beatles CDs is a thrill, it is now even more-so with this brilliant audio collection. For the very first time, their entire recorded output has been remastered for the 21st century, complete with unique liner notes and special digipak-packaging to boot. With the exception of the “Past Masters” set, each disc also contains a brief mini-documentary about that album. These short bits can only be utilised with the assistance of a computer’s disc drive. However, the box set does include a bonus DVD disc featuring all of these short sequences together so you can enjoy it on your very own DVD player. What you have here are the original British Beatles albums just like what had been released before; only now, the listener can enjoy the first 4 albums – “Please Please Me”. “With The Beatles”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Beatles For Sale” – available in true stereo for the very first time. Combined with the remaining 9 albums recorded by the group between 1965 and 1970, this is a masterpiece set, and a special treasure trove of timeless, classic songs that changed the entire structure of popular music as we know it today.

Each CD is carefully and painstakingly put together in a very special 3-border fold-out, which allows the CD to be housed in a slot on the far right-hand side (except for the double discs, which have their CDs fitted inside the packaging). Each title also comes with a special CD booklet containg many unreleased photographs that represent the time when each album was originally released, plus well-written liner notes (including the original notes from the first 4 albums). The “Yellow Submarine” booklet contains both the original UK and US back cover notes together for the very first time. And, what a thrill it is to finally be able to have the photo/comic-strip booklet from “Magical Mystery Tour”, that was initially issued in the American LP in 1967, in an official CD release for the very first time. The “White Album” packaging includes the original poster, in a CD sized reproduction, that features the photo collage on one side, and the album’s song-lyrics on the other side. This marks the second time that this poster was made available in a “White Album” CD release, following the 30th anniversary reissue from 1998.

The sound quality of the songs are, without a doubt, the very best that I have ever heard before. For the first time, the audio quality of each track is sharp, crisp, crystal clear and truly an audiophile’s dream come true. It should also be noted that the songs “Love Me Do” (both versions), “P.S. I Love You”, “Only A Northern Song”, “She Loves You”, “I’ll Get You” and “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” are all presented in their original monaural mixes, whereas the remaining songs are all in true stereo. Even “I Am The Walrus” still has its orignal mix of half-stereo/half-duophonic, just like the first time around. All in all, this box set far surpasses all other box sets that have come before.

And, the bonus DVD of the mini documentaries is also well-produced. Each segment features audio comments from The Beatles themselves along with George Martin. This DVD gives a fascinating insight into why these classic albums have stood the test of time so well, and continue to be so popular, even into the 21st century.

Many current and legendary artists have called The Beatles a major influence. One listen to this music and you too will see why. Beatlemania will live on forever!

Review by Sarasotan:

I was disappointed with the 1987 CDs, so I put my Mobile Fidelity albums (state of the art record albums back then, from the master tapes) onto CD around 1992 and have been listening to those since. I long since sold my 1987 CDs. Now I can get rid of those Mobile Fidelity CDs because the sound quality of these remastered CDs exceeds even them.

For those 1987 CDs the first four albums were in mono. I can sort of understand that for the first two, with their distinct, wide 2-track separation. But the second two had four-track and sounded great in stereo. At any rate, I preferred all four in stereo. So went to extreme measures to get it, in quality. Now those are all here in glorious stereo in this set.

I was afraid that they would narrow the separation on the first two albums. Fortunately they did not. If you want to listen to those two with headphones, you may be disappointed with the sound — get the mono, but listening to them through speakers, several feet away, the stereo adds an outstanding dimension to the sound.

Throughout this set, the bass is more evident, the drums are sharper – the quality just jumps out at you throughout — a testament to the much more sophisticated digitization techniques they have today than in 1987. A job well done!!

Review by Steve Vrana:

For years I accepted on faith that the best album ever made was Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. While that album remains a stunning example of the summer of love, the true trinity of the Beatles oeuvre are Rubber Soul, Revolver and Abbey Road–with the nod going to Abbey Road as the Beatles final studio album.

There is not a false note on this album. It kicks off with a forceful vocal from John Lennon on “Come Together,” which is balanced by the tenderness of “Something,” one of George Harrison’s best songs (and only Beatles A-side single contribution). With “Because” Lennon wrote one of the loveliest melodies of his career. Even the silliness of McCartney’s “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” and Ringo Starr’s child-like “Octopus’s Garden” exude charm and warmth from a band that was on the verge of fragmenting forever and taking some of the innocence of the sixties with them.

And then there’s the side-2 suite (tracks 9-16)which still makes for powerful listening thirty years later. Sir Paul McCartney summed it all up in “The End”: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” And so the curtain rang down on the best rock ‘n’ roll band in our lifetime. ESSENTIAL

Here’s a brief update of the 2009 remastered release of ABBEY ROAD:

THE SONGS: There are no new songs or demos included on this rerelease. It contains only the original tracks from the 1969 release.

THE REMASTERING: This CD has been remastered from the original stereo analogue master tapes. Since this is one of the few Beatles albums to be recorded in stereo (YELLOW SUBMARINE and LET IT BE are the only other two), there is no mono version. The muffled, sometimes muddy sound of the 1987 CD issue has been replaced with a crisp, clean sound that creates an entirely new listening experience.

THE BOOKLET: There is a 16-page booklet with brief “Historical Notes” as well as “Recording Notes,” which are serviceable but not overly thorough. A full eleven of the pages are devoted to photos, including three from their final photo shoot on August 22, 1969, at John Lennon’s home at Tittenhurst Park. Also, of historical note, are several proofs from the ABBEY ROAD cover shoot.

THE MINI-DOCUMENTARY: First of all, anyone expecting a VH1 Behind the Music-style documentary will be sadly disappointed. The video runs less than four minutes and contains very little actual video. There is some footage used from the “Something” promotional video. Otherwise it is all still photos. [Although there is some clever computerized gimmickry used to make it appear as if the Beatles are actually walking across the pedestrian crossing in front of Abbey Road Studio.] The documentary also includes voice-over commentary from McCartney, Harrison, Starr and producer George Martin. As for the music, there is a snippet of a demo of “Come Together.” Otherwise, only samples of final take versions are heard. [Total running time - 3:46. Note: You will need QuickTime to view this on your computer.]

THE CD CASE: The cardboard CD case is not ideal for two reasons: First of all, it’s a trifold case so it will not lay flat and it will be more prone to wear. Secondly, the CD is awkward to get out of the slipcase without touching the recorded side of the disc.

THE VERDICT: Ignore the naysayers. Buy this album. It’s like hearing the album for the first time!

Review by Sal Nudo:

Until recently, the only thing I knew about The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” was the goofy album cover where all four band members are crossing the street. Now I consider it one of the best, most innovative rock ‘n’ roll albums ever released. And I mean innovative and fresh by today’s standards, not just the standards of the late 1960s. These guys practically invented the art of making melodic rock music, and they certainly weren’t afraid to experiment with sounds and ideas.

“Abbey Road” offers something for everybody; a 90-year-old senior citizen could enjoy this album as easily as a 5-year-old kid. The sounds and tastes of this record are all over the map. For instance, whereas “Come Together” is a serious rock anthem with a heavy message, songs like “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” (Lennon-McCartney) and “Octopus’s Garden” (Ringo Starr) are silly pop nuggets. Romance is also present, like on George Harrison’s beautiful “Something” (which includes a swooning string section), and on the dramatic “Oh! Darling,” where Paul McCartney belts out the lyrics in his most sincere tone. Overall, there’s a boyish, innocent quality to these songs, especially lyrically, yet a sophistication to the sound and musical development. In short, the Beatles, as well as their producer, George Martin, possessed the resources, talent, musicality and what must have been a sense of finality to create one of the best records ever.

Though the Beatles were on their way out with “Abbey Road,” the seven-minute-plus “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” is reminiscent of another British band on their way in back in 1969, Led Zeppelin. The song features longing lyrics and an indelibly heavy guitar riff in the style of Jimmy Page before he became a household name. Conversely, songs like “Because” and “Sun King” are positively airy and lightweight, unbelievably catchy. The Beatles thrived on hazy, dreamy songs that featured their head-in-the-cloud choruses and melting melodies, making it all seem as easy as a summer breeze.

Beginning at “You Never Give Me Your Money,” the album transforms into a hot-potato medley of one sublimely melodic song after another, a shockingly creative assembly line of tracks that magically blend together, thanks mostly to producer George Martin. It’s comparable to a movie score with words or a spur-of-the moment “Best of” mixture. McCartney and Lennon deserve the lion’s share of credit for creating this 20-minute joyride, on the second side of one album. Despite the inevitable end of the band, the guys sound excited, joyful, happy to be alive, inspiring, a little crazy and willing to experiment on their way out.

As the music on “Abbey Road” mutates from one moment to the next — sometimes in the space of just one song — the lustrous sounds and sky-high choruses mix perfectly with the weightless lyrics. As the album winds down and such greats as “Mr. Mustard” and the punk-ish “Polythene Pam” rage on, the band opt to go out on a positive and touching message that truly resonates. Overall, I understand now why many have said that there are the Beatles and then there is everyone else.

Review by zzcoop:

Woah, woah, woah… for all of those who dismiss this CD because these songs are already available elsewhere, or because it doesn’t contain certain tracks let me explain something here. The purpose of realeasing this disc the way they did was to showcase, in chronological order mind you, all of the Beatles singles that went to #1 in either the UK or the US. Also, you can’t ignore the fact that these tracks have been digitally remastered (spectacularly I might add… especially the earlier tracks!) In my opinion, this CD is worth purchasing merely for the marvelous remastering job of “Love Me Do” alone! In addition, the obvious dropouts towards the end of “Day Tripper” have been edited back into proper audibility. However, I do have one caveat with “She Loves You.” In the original version, there is a nasty edit where the phrase “pride can hurt you too, apologize to her” is dropped in (apparently from a 45, due to a mangled or missing tape.) The engineers attempted to fix this in the remaster, and they succeeded in bringing that section back down to the same level volume-wise, but right before that phrase they’ve created an unintentional drop-out that, all in all, almost makes the new edit worse than the original!! Regardless, as an avid Beatles fan/collector, I deem this CD an essential purchase. And that’s my two cents. Peace.

Review by R. Raiz:

Maybe it’s just my ears, but after listening to the 1 CD over the past week, I am convinced that EMI has finally done the Beatles catalog justice. Unlike the Yellow Sub songtrack album, where the songs were remixed, sometimes with curious results, on 1 all you get is a remastered sound that brings out the crispness in guitar licks, thundering drum rolls and a deep, melodic bass. Just listen to Eight Days A Week for an example; unlike the version on Past Masters, you can really hear the rhythm guitar as if you are in the recording studio. In Penny Lane the trumpets have a great, majestic sound, framing heavenly flutes and precise vocals. In Come Together you can really hear the lead guitar.It’s my opinion that everyone should buy this CD. Redundant content; absolutely. Unparalleled sound; without a doubt. Now if they would only revisit the original albums and give them the same royal treatment.

Review by doublefantasy:

As I bought this book based on all of the very high praise found on this Amazon page, I now feel obligated to warn future potential buyers that this book is nowhere near all it’s cracked up to be.

First of all, if you’ve read at least a few other Beatles books before, a lot of the information in this book purported to be “revelatory” is actually old news, and well-known even by casual fans. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds was a drawing by Julian Lennon? Well, I’ll be. Strawberry Fields Forever was a reference to John Lennon’s special, childhood hideaway? No way! Penny Lane is a district in Liverpool? These are the kinds of shockers that just keep coming and coming.

Of course, as someone who truly does obsess over the Beatles, I was expecting to reread lots of things I already knew. The problem is the things I didn’t know. There was, in fact, all kinds of information that I had never before come across. To the point that I would almost be impressed.

If I could believe a word of it. And sadly, I can’t.

The book is riddled, just riddled, with ridiculous typos and factual errors. There seems to have been no copy editing done in this book outside of computerized spell checking. And so all kinds of typos remain, because the words they spell are in the dictionary. One of my favorites is when the author seriously refers to previous Beatles films as “Help! and Hard Day’s Write.” Yes, the author got the Beatles film confused with his own book, and no one managed to catch it. A mere few paragraphs later, he claims that the song added to Let It Be… Naked is I’ve Got a Feeling. Which it is not. He also claims that George Martin came up with the idea for the Sgt. Pepper Reprise, even though it’s well-documented that Neil Aspinall was the true inspiration behind the idea. On and on it goes.

So, is the reason that “Badfinger Boogie” was the original title for A Little Help From My Friends because John had an injured finger at the time of writing? Perhaps. Sounds believable. But who knows. The inexcusable errors, coupled with the painful lack of any citations, leaves me unable to trust a word, no matter how much I’d like to.

As a final note, while other reviewers refer to John Lennon constantly being psychoanalyzed by the author, even to the point of ridiculousness, and the glossing over all of Paul’s compositions as written about Jane Asher, George Harrison is the one who gets the true short end of this stick. All of his song entries are excruciatingly short, up to and including a mere 97 words — I counted — written about While My Guitar Gently Weeps, one of the greatest Beatles songs ever written. Though Turner could find a whole page of information about It Won’t Be Long and how he believes that John’s mother inspired the song’s sentiments (WHAT?), he couldn’t find nary a word to say about what George’s profound lyrics in this song said about his philosophical thoughts or world views.

It’s a shame, because this really could have been an excellent and truly invaluable book, as the cover quotes all claim. Indeed, it should have been. But it’s not. It instead goes down as one of the worst Beatles books I’ve ever read. And that means a lot.

Review by Beatlefansincethen:

This book is very valuable for people who haven’t read many Beatle books and don’t know much about them or their music. If you fall into that category you will find this book indispensible. It gives an accurate outline of the stories behind every Beatle song, and what interesting stories they are. The people who inadvertantly influenced their writing, the events that inspired them to write a particular song, (sometimes a TV commercial or innocuous statement made by someone in the room or in their recent past.) A wonderful insight into their creative process and into their minds as well. Unfortunately for me, I’ve read so many Beatle books, that I have heard all of these stories before, so by the time I came across this book, it was kind of anticlimactic. Even so, there were still some things I didn’t know like, Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkee is actually referring to Yoko Ono,(she’s John’s monkee) and is not about having a heroin habit, like I had assumed. I won’t give anymore away though because if you are reading this, I recommend that you read A Hard Day’s Write and find out for yourself.

The only thing I found mildly annoying, is the author’s slight over analysis of Lennon’s songs. Maybe he is right about most of them, he certainly doesn’t seem off the mark when he talks about Lennon’s abandonment issues. However his editorialising about John’s, And Your Bird Can Sing really got under my skin. He seems to have the idea that John is singing about Paul in this song, and trying to say that Paul isn’t as cool as he is, when he sings, “Tell me that you’ve heard every sound there is” etc. According to Turner, when he sings, “You say you’ve seen seven wonders,” he’s referring to Paul’s “seven levels” remark when they first got high together. (huh?) What does one have to do with the other? John uses the ‘seven wonders’ reference as a metephor for someone who’s ‘seen it all’. I picked up on that when I was eleven for heaven sake. It’s so obvious. And it’s anyone’s guess who he’s singing about. Maybe he’s singing about himself! Or the press, or maybe the fans, or the establishment…whatever. It was beyond stupid for Turner to stick this song with his clumsy oppinions. No one knows what the song is about. It makes me think that maybe Turner is the one who thinks this about Paul and he was looking for something in John’s lyrics to validate HIS feeling. He even talks about the Anthology 2 version of the song, where John and Paul break into uncontrolled giggling at the mic, saying that Paul seemed unaware that the song is about him, judging from his giggling. Yeah Mr. Turner, only you and your idol John Lennon are in on what the song really means. I guess he whispered it in your ear and told you not to tell Paul. And what a fool Paul is! Here he is thinking that John Lennon is his friend, when he really isn’t! Thankfully there is you, Steve Turner to set things straight. Hopefully Paul read your drops of wisdom and realized once and for all that he just wasn’t cool enough to be friends with that wonderful Lennon.

Every once in a while, Turner’s feelings seem to peak through like this, and it diminishes what is otherwise, a great read. There are a couple caption mistakes, especially a big one which features more editorialising. On one page there is a large picture of a Beatle reclining in his seat on a PanAm jet. It looks like the flight to New York on Feb. 7, 1964. He has a clothe over his face, so you really can’t tell who it is, except…if you look at the watch worn on the right wrist instead of the left,the checked shirt, and the cuff links,you’ll know that it is definitly Paul. ( he was dressed this way on that flight, while John had a white shirt and was sitting with his wife.) But Turner writes in the caption that JOHN always needed time to be alone and get away from it all and the picture shows this. No it shows that PAUL needed time to be alone and get away from it all. Or maybe he was just TIRED and needed a nap! This editorialising is dumb. Like he’s trying to show that John was the only one who needed to be alone. Because he was cooler?,more brilliant?,the ‘artistic Beatle’?,the ‘smart Beatle?’ Paul was maybe too busy being ‘cute’.

In his quest to analyze John’s songs (to death) he under analyzes Paul’s, even Yesterday, which most Beatle scholars think is subconsciously about his mother. But Turner seems to think that if Paul is not writing about Jane Asher, he is writing about…. nothing. Only John has deep feelings that are revealed in his songs. Only John was hurt by the loss of his mother. Not that ‘cute Beatle.’ He has no feelings and was hurt by nothing.

Except for these flaws, A Hard Day’s Write is an interesting book, and highly recommended. I just hate when Beatle writers try to perpetuate the myth that John was the only smart one. The only artistic one. etc. It reduces their credibility. The best Beatle books never stoop to subjective editorialising.

Review by W. T. Hoffman:

I tried to get a handle on what to expect with the remastered BEATLES songs, by comparing the old remastered CDs from the 80s, with BEATLES ONE (the red CD with the yellow “1″, that had 24 bit remastered versions of their number one hits, that came out in 2000.) You can get a ballpark idea about the new remasters, using this method. But of course, NOTHING from the white album is one BEATLES ONE. I expected at least some increased clarity, and increased volumn from the added compression. Yes, its all that and more. Right off the bat, you start hearing sounds you have NEVER heard (or noticed?) before. This isnt from equalization popping up the top end of the sound. There’s improved sonic clarity across the HERTZ spectrum. Its as tho you were sonically nearsighted, and someone just put glasses on you for the first time. EVERYTHING just STANDS OUT with such clarity and force. YOU get this effect on ALL the songs. If you listen to JULIA, the acoustic guitars just BLOW YOUR MIND! You can hear John’s fingers scrape across the strings. His vocals are rich, full, and the bottom end is….well, altho there is NO bass guitar on JULIA, the bottom end is so full and rich, you would think there WAS bass. Naturally, the BIG TEST for the white album, is listening to REVOLUTION #9. For some reason, deciphering REVOLUTION #9 thru headphones, penetrating the incomprehensible density of tape loops, has been a favorite pass time for some mega-fans for decades. (I’m one.) And you know what? For the first time EVER, I was able to hear more of Ringo’s and John’s bizarre mumbling jokes, and nonsense verbage. Again, the CLARITY! the DEPTH OF SONIC PERCEPTION! Honestly, its about as much as anyone can hope for. Of course, the WHITE ALBUM was the first Beatle’s album recorded in 8 track, so there is less bouncing to free up tracks on this album. For that reason alone, there has always been less tape hiss, and greater clarity, with this album. But since this isnt a digital remix, like the YELLOW SUB soundtrack, the same clarity and vibrancy can be expected on each remastered title. Its amazing, that the engineers at ABBEY ROAD were able to find such vivid soundscapes on those (digitally transfered) master tapes. BRAVO!

NeedI say how great the WHITE ALBUM is? Let’s just stick to the remastered CD’s “GOODIES”. First, you have a protective cardboard slip case around the double gatefold CD, EMBOSSED with “THE BEATLES”, just like the first LPS did. The White album folds open, giving you four panels, each with one of the color “glossy photos” on it. (originally on seperate sheets, like the poster, but no more.) The first panel contains the 28 page booklet. It gives you all the lyrics, along with a small essay about the album. The information it contains is concise, exact, and puts the album within the context of the Fab Four’s total discography. I loved the extra photos. The July ’68 color “Hollyhock” photos are included, and rare B&W promo shots from that period, but the surprises will give Beatle fans something new to munch on. After the first panel containing the booklet, the next two panels have CD1 and CD2 of the album. (the documentary is on CD2). The fourth panel holds a mini reproduction of the poster, with the lyrics on the back. My only complaint, is that the glossy cardboard CD foldout has the CDs stuck in those cardboard slots TIGHT. They tend to grab onto the CDs….be careful taking them out, or the cardboard will give you minor surface scratches. (The CDs aren’t in something like LP sleeves, which is the norm when this type of CD mini-LP format is used. Next, I played the QUICK TIME mini documentary. (They’re about 3-4 minutes long.) I was worried cos my computer is an old MAC, but it supports MAC OS 10.3 on G4 and G5, as well as PC Pentium 3 processor using windows 2000+. Obviously, nearly anyone with a working computer will be able to watch the QUICKTIME documentaries. They don’t have complete music videos, but rather show bits of studio performance. My favorite bit was Paul recording BLACKBIRD. It starts with a close up of TAP SHOES producing that beat, then the camera pulls back to reveal Paul recording on his acoustic. MAD COOL! Also, there’s a TON of previously unseen footage from John’s home movies of Maharishi’s summer camp at Rishikesh India. Plus, photos of the sessions, topped off with studio chatter by the fab four. If you remember the White album section from the ANTHOLOGY, its an extension of that, but no repeats for the most part. Now that the WHITE ALBUM is over 40 years old, putting the songs in a sociological/historical context, will definately be a service to those new to this album, or discovering the BEATLES for the first time.

In conclusion, from the first JET ENGINE flying between your speakers, to Ringo whispering “Good night everybody, everybody everywhere, Good night”, the remastered WHITE ALBUM does NOT DISAPPOINT. I don’t think they could have gotten a better sound if they had gone back to remix the album. Some people are disappointed that the Beatles didnt put this out on SACD (a format already abandoned), or AUDIO DVD (Perhaps when this format is further standardized, APPLE RECORDS might bring out an AUDIO DVD boxset…who knows?) So many Beatles fans have complained about the original transfer, and then, complained as 24 BIT remastering arrived, but APPLE RECORDS didnt remaster. Well, now it’s done, and obviously they worked their butts off to make everybody happy. I”m happy. And, you can bet I’m going to buy at least the ABBEY ROAD, SGT PEPPER, and REVOLVER remasters. If you’re on the fence about replacing your whole BEATLES CD collection, my advice is to just buy ONE. Only YOUR ears will tell you where to go from there.

Review by Jason Pumphrey:

I am floored, I just listened to the 2009 Stereo Remaster of “The Beatles” aka “The White Album” and WOW! Everything sounds better with this awesome remastering, much fuller and dynamic. I’m no audiophile but I CAN tell the difference between this and the old CD release! Comes with a nice booklet and a reproduction of the poster that came with the original LP. Even the slipcover for the 2-CD set is embossed like the original LP cover! I give this 2009 Stereo Remaster an A+

Review by AntiochAndy:

One of three LP/CDs by the Beatles among my all-time top ten, along with “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver”. Though not my personal favorite, this recording is essential in any collection of pop/rock recordings. It has been, since its release, a standard by which others are measured. It also marks the high-water mark of the Beatles creativity as a band. After “Sgt. Pepper…” came a directionless time during which the “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Yellow Submarine” records were released, followed by the period the band’s breakdown, as chronicled in the “White Album”, “Let It Be” and “Abbey Road”. Though these latter efforts contained plenty of great music, it was clear that the Beatles were increasingly unable to function together as a unit. Individual tracks almost always spotlighted one of the band members while the others worked essentially as a backing group.During a recent TV special, it wa said that, during the time the Beatles were in the studio making “Sgt. Pepper…”, there was a lot of doubt about what they would come out with and many fans were giving up on them. As someone who was around at the time, I certainly don’t remember much of that. Of course, the Beatles always had a few doubters and detractors, but most of us were looking forward to their next record. Stories of how much time and effort were going into it only fueled our anticipation. It was like the release of the fourth Harry Potter book when “Sgt. Pepper…” finally came out. Some stores opened early and huge numbers were sold the first day of it’s release. I bought a copy that day like many others. Nor was I disappointed. Since then, I have spent many hours listening to “Sgt. Pepper…” and I expect I’ll spend many more.To appreciate the significance of “Sgt. Pepper…” you have to understand the pivotal place of the Beatles in the culture of the time. Quite simply, they changed everything. Before the Beatles, the primary medium of pop/rock music was the 45 rpm single. The Beatles released a flood of good quality songs, many original, so that “albums” became more than just a couple of hit singles packaged with a bunch of throwaway tracks. All of the tracks were good and people began to buy albums because it was the best way to get all the music. “Sgt. Pepper…” took this a step further by making the album a more unified whole. It elevated pop/rock music to the level of art, implying an expressiveness and timelessness beyond anything rock had previously aspired to. But the impact of the Beatles went far beyond music. It entered into fashion, modes of behavior, and popular attitudes in a variety of areas. We were even fed a constant stream of news reports about what the Beatles were doing from day to day or week to week. London became, for a time, THE cultural center of the world.”Sgt. Pepper…” itself has a timeless quality. Songs such as With A Little Help From My Friends, Getting Better, Within You Without You, When I’m Sixty-four and others have themes that people can relate to just as well today as when they were first released. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and A Day In The Life, while perhaps mored dated lyrically, are among the most interesting pieces in other respects.For those of us who were around and listening when “Sgt. Pepper…” came out, it is more than just a record or CD. It marks the peak of a time of incredible energy and change. The decline and dissolution of the Beatles is something many of us still feel in a very personal way. Even today, we mourn the end of the Beatles and the death of John Lennon. Those events represent the passing and final end of something we treasured. “Sgt. Pepper…” is a great record by a great band. Even more, it is a central landmark of its period and of its genre. If you think you like rock music, but you don’t have a copy of “Sgt. Pepper…”, sorry but you’ve missed it. Get a copy. You can’t really appreciate the Beatles without it. Definitely a favorite of mine, and I expect it will be a favorite of yours, too.

Review by J. V. Lewis:

I feel like a monumental jackass reviewing this album: should I review the Q’uran and Coka Cola Classic next? Is there any more fundamentally unassailable album in the history of music? Is anything more impervious to criticism?

I just feel like recording the joy [I am not exagerating] I’m feeling right now as my 11-year-old daughter is discovering this album. She is spurning Christina Aguilera and I don’t know what other one-dimensional rot for the complex, multi-layered, polyphonic wonders of the peak album of the most musical foursome of all time. This feels like a great victory for me. Parenthood hath its rewards.

Just had to type that out.

Review by Mike London:

The Beatles’ overall achievement is rivaled by no one. In a course of only seven years, they produced 12 and ½ albums (I don’t count YELLOW SUBMARINE as a full album), one of which was a double album, and enough independent singles to make up two other albums. Very prolific, and the single most important band ever to grace the rock’n'roll scene. There is countless debates on what is their most important, but to me every one of those albums from Rubber Soul on (excepting YELLOW SUBMARINE) is a self-contained masterpiece.That being said, REVOLVER gives us the most balanced view of The Beatles that we ever get. Everything that made The Beatles great is here in the right proportions. We have the three tracks of Harrison, including an Indian song of his, we have the ultimate Ringo song (everyone should know what song I’m talking about here), we have Paul’s melodious love songs that would overwhelm his solo career, and we have the standard Lennon experimentation. On no other record do we get such a clear picture of what each Beatle brought into the equation. Everyone of them shine for their individual talents. The direct opposite of this is THE WHITE ALBUM, when The Beatles were in the process of breaking up. In terms of artistic growth (remember, this was released almost a year after Help!, which was released August 6, 1965 and this August 5, 1965) we knew The Beatles were onto something. It foreshadows everything that will happen on SGT PEPPER, and is as important as its successor. And in terms of what made The Beatles great, this is the record to go too, because it gives you the most balanced view of the most important band in rock’n'roll history.

Review by paperbackriter:

Quite simply the greatest album by the greatest band of all-time. A mind boggling collage of perfect songcraft and sheer sonic joy, Revolver, like its predecessor Rubber Soul, stunned the pop world when released in 1966. In terms of Beatle evolution, Revolver catches the Fabs in the midst of their most perfect phase — more sophisticated than the Mop-Top years of 1963-64, yet more restrained than the experimental Later Years. Lush psychedelic tones flourish throughout, enhancing, yet never overwhelming the colorful song textures. Witness George’s painstaking backward guitar solo on “I’m Only Sleeping” for a textbook example of innovation with restraint. Mesmerizing rhythmic structures, which pop-up all over, may well be the most inventive of the band’s career. Ringo’s percussive tom rolls transform John’s single-chord mind-bender “Tomorrow Never Knows” into the most hypnotic three-minutes of acid-drenched pleasure ever recorded. Never have Beatle guitars sounded so bright, trebly and as bitingly distorted as they do on “And Your Bird Can Sing” and “She Said, She Said”. On the gentle flipside are the baroque sophistication of “For No One” and the epic neo-classicism of “Eleanor Rigby”. Gently washed in the mournful hues of George Martin’s perfectly scored string arrangement, “Eleanor” emerges as Paul’s most mature and, quite possibly, most beautiful song. Sing-a-long classics “Good Day Sunshine” and “Yellow Submarine” prove that fun was indeed still fashionable in the Swingin’ Summer of ’66.Every aspect of Revolver–from the biting social commentary of “Taxman” to the childish joyride of “Yellow Submarine”– clicks so perfectly. A 1996 Mojo Reader’s Poll ranked Revolver as the greatest album ever recorded. But Revolver, like the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, is more than merely a great rock album– it is unquestionably one of the 20th Century’s greatest works of art.

Review by W. Langan:

This video series is highly recommended for any serious Beatle fan! While I agree that you can’t say it all in just 8 hours, all 4 beatles share stuff you won’t find in any book on the Beatles. Tape 1 begins with a video collage of their history, features their youthful beginnings, days in Hamburg, how Ringo joined the band, and their rise to the top in England.Tape 2 shows their growth as a band, talks on their BBC sessions, performing for the Queen, stories about touring, and some hilarious TV segments!Tape 3 begins with their introduction into America, talks about their performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Ringo’s tonsilitis, and their 1st movie A Hard Day’s Night.Tape 4 talks about the pressures of touring, drugs, Dylan, the making of Help!, the inspiration for Yesterday, and winning the MBE award.Tape 5 talks about their Shea Stadium performance, meeting Elvis, Rubber Soul and Revolver.Tape 6 talks on the events that led to the Beatles’ final tour in 1966 (the Philippines and John’s remarks about Jesus), Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane,Sgt. Pepper, and their holiday in Greece.Tape 7 starts with the One World performance of “All You Need Is Love”, and talks about the Maharishi, the death of Brian Epstein, Magical Mystery Tour, the opening of Apple, Yellow Submarine, and John’s new companion, Yoko Ono.Tape 8 begins with the White Album, discusses the closing and dissolution of Apple, Hey Jude, Let It Be, Paul’s marriage to Linda, John’s marriage to Yoko, George and John’s drug busts, Abbey Road, and the Free As a Bird video (what? Real Love isn’t included! ).A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Review by W. Langan:

Back in January 2000, I reviewed this box set here (see “If You Liked the TV Special, You’ll Love This!”). 3 years later, many Beatles fans’ prayers (including my own) have been answered with the release of this video library in DVD form. Rather than resay what I said back then, I just thought I’d write with a different perspective. The opening statement is from the liner notes of Derek Taylor, who served as the Beatles’ press agent.To answer a recent review, here’s what’s on it: performances of the Beatles live in concert and television performances (not complete concerts), some original videos, narrated by Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the late George Harrison (who was still around during the making of this documentary) and the late John Lennon (his comments are culled by old interviews), excerpts from early recordings, studio outtakes, press conferences and all 5 of their movies and finally, over 30 complete Beatles tracks (By the way, “Real Love” is included in this edition).The sound quality is superior here than the original VHS (and you have the option of LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital surround sound and DTS 5.1 surround sound). You also have the option of subtitles in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese (Brazilian and European). Just don’t expect your Linguistics teachers to be impressed with how many French or Spanish words you learned while watching this!It is a bit of a shame that individual tracks weren’t assembled for complete songs. Oh well, a minour disappointment! Keep in mind that the 8 video VHS box set was actually pricier than the 5 DVD box set back when it was released in 1996 (I remember paying over [money] for mine!).Then of course, there’s the Special Features DVD. In addition to the “Real Love” video (which wasn’t included on the original VHS edition), there’s a segment in which Paul, George and Ringo all gather together in 1994 to discuss the old days and jam out on old songs. The 3 are also featured here in 1995 discussing with George Martin, their producer, the choosing of different outtakes on the 3 Anthology CD’s and studio techniques they used during the original recording sessions. Paul, George and Ringo also discuss with Jeff Lynne how a Beatles mini-”reunion” took place with 2 John Lennon demos (“Free As a Bird” and “Real Love”). Also, there’s a section on how many hours of interviews and classic footage came together for this documentary and a feature on how the “Free as a Bird” video was made.Give yourself at least 2 weeks to enjoy as Derek Taylor once put it these “10 hours of unchallengable evidence” of the Beatles’ legacy, which continues even to this day.

Review by paperbackriter:

To say that “Rubber Soul” was merely groundbreaking, is like saying the Titanic was just another boat! With the release of this timeless masterpiece, the Beatles effectively rewrote the rock-n-roll rulebook. In doing so, they launched themselves into a four-year spell in which they were simply untouchable. Every element of “Rubber Soul” — from its ultra-hip cover to the magnificent songs — turned the rock world on its collective ear in 1965.Ultimately, when judging the merit of an album, it all boils down to the quality of the songs and “Rubber Soul” is chock full of classics. “In My Life”, “Norwegian Wood”, “Michelle” and “Nowhere Man” are permanently ingrained in public consciousness. In a nutshell, they are essential elements of mid-20th Century pop culture. “Drive My Car” — the album’s rockin’ opener –and John’s seething “Girl” are pure pop pleasures. Paul’s catchy “You Won’t See Me” is a bitter send-off politely dressed in three-part harmony. The most surprising element of “Rubber Soul”, however, was the emergence of George as a songwriting force. The Quiet One penned a pair of beauties with “Think For Yourself” and “If I Needed Someone”. Each of “Rubber Soul’s” 14 songs worked cohesively in terms of sound and theme. In other words, this wasn’t two hit singles and a bunch of filler — this was a “concept” album. The Beatles were growing up and soon the entire rock community would follow suit.The influence of “Rubber Soul” was widespread. Upon first hearing the album, an awestruck Brian Wilson was said to have shook his head in disbelief. Wilson, of course, eventually recovered and answered the Beatles with his stunning “Pet Sounds” the following year. The most amazing attribute of “Rubber Soul” is that it was recorded in a single month! (Under immense pressure from the record company which was desperate for a Christmas offering from the Fabs.) Remarkably, the double-sided single “Day Tripper/ We Can Work it Out” was also recorded during these sessions, yet was never considered for inclusion on the long-player. Yes, that’s how good the Beatles were in 1965, a banner year in rock’s history. The Beach Boys, James Brown, Dylan, the Stones and Smokey Robinson all blazed a trail in ’65, but ultimately the Fab Four grabbed the rock-n-roll mantle and ran with it. They were the trendsetters and “Rubber Soul” was their vehicle. I’d give this album 10 stars if I could !!

Review by Mike London:

RUBBER SOUL is an undeniably brilliant album, but before I get underway I want to address a statement I read in an earlier review, which I find difficult to believe that someone would actually make this statement. Matthew McDowell, in his review dated September 4, 2000, said this was the first significant album ever produced. That is simply an asinine statement. Even that year, Dylan gives The Beatles a run for their money, and both BIABH and HW61R were already released. There was a significant body of recordings and albums in other genres being produced for a long time, and his claim of RUBBER SOUL being first important album ever is both ridiculous and uninformed. That being said, I will resume the review proper.RUBBER SOUL, The Beatles’ sixth studio album in a mere three years, takes its place as the very first full length release that truly beings the evolution of away from the bubblegum pop that dominated the first half of their career. The truly fascinating element of The Beatles are going through their recordings chronologically. You can watch that extremely rapid artistic growth explode. It is amazing that this is the same band who, a mere three years ago, recorded PLEASE PLEASE ME. Obviously, there are several influences that can be felt on this album, although The Beatles up the antes one with this release. This album sounds like The Beatles playing (and beating) The Byrds at their own game. There are gorgeous three part harmonies, several compositions that would become standards almost on their release, and such a vast improvement artistically over the last five albums. The Beatles knew the time to move was now. Dylan had released BRINING IT ALL BACK HOME and HIGHWAY 61 REVISTED that year, both of which are much better ascetically than The Beatles’ effort that year (HELP!).

The critics always talk about RUBBER SOUL being that pivotal album in The Beatles’ artistic growth, but that is simply not true. While it is true that it is the first ALBUM by The Beatles to have that mature sound, about half of HELP! stands proudly alongside this release, as does the non lp tracks “Yes, It Is,” and “I Feel Fine,” which, to me, has always sound much more midperiod Beatles than the earlier material with which it belongs. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had they scrapped HELP!, but the five or six extra tracks on this, and released the other half as singles, but we can never know. What we do know, however, is that tracks like “Help!,” “Ticket to Ride,” “It’s Only Love,” “Yesterday,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” (which, by the way, is the best song Dylan never wrote) point toward this release. The first two tracks cited hearken back to tracks like “Hard Days’ Night” and their earlier sound, the lyrics are much better and without expense to the melody. Those who complain that the record company has butchered the pre-1967 Beatles releases by coming out with totally reconfigured albums are putting on prominent display their ignorance of The Beatles’ history and the decadence of Capitol in regards to respecting the artistic integrity of their artists. There were ELEVEN*, count them, eleven U.S. albums released from1963 to 1966. In the UK, however, The Beatles had only issued FIVE albums before this. No one complains about these missing albums with the exception of this US version of RUBBER SOUL.In those days, The Beatles were extremely hot commodities (which they still are) and the market supported singles more than albums anyway, so the reshuffling of all the tracks does not effect (much) the artistry of the songs until we get to RUBBER SOUL and REVOLVER. It is only until SGT. PEPPER that the American version and the UK version coincided. The most famous of these bastardized American albums is “Yesterday . . . and Today,” the famous Butcher album, which is comprised of the four lost RUBBER SOUL tracks, two from the Side 2 of Help!, three from the then current REVOLVER sessions (the album was not completed when YESTERDAY was released), and the “Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out Single.” Yet that album has its place in Beatles history more for the cover as opposed to the music inside, although the music is brilliant. But of all the American albums, this and the U. S. RUBBER SOUL are the most sorely missed. Why are they sorely missed? Well, there’s a reason why there have been many people complaining about the UK version when they grew up with the American version. With the release of this particular album, The Beatles and their contemporaries (especially Dylan) were firmly moving the market away from the singles and were becoming much more album oriented, which is why this is the most controversial reconfiguration. The rest sound like a collection of singles: this sounds like a unified album. To those who argue that the American release is better I do not necessarily agree. “Nowhere Man” stands as a vastly important composition, the first of The Beatles to move beyond the boy-girl subject of their bubblegum pop, and to remove it from this album makes the record suffer greatly. The American release compensated (partially) as having “Face” as the opener, which I greatly prefer to start the album off as opposed to “Drive My Car.” This version of the album also is strengthened by dropping the rather bland “What Goes On,” the worst track on the album. As everyone praises this album, no one seems to fully discuss the disturbing “Run For Your Life,” an extremely misogynistic Lennon song and the most baffling song in The Beatles’ canon. This song makes a rather weakened end, and Ringo’s simply isn’t that impressive. Still, an enthusiastic five star release non-the-less.

* For those interested, on these eleven albums there are tracks that are no longer available commercially, although they are of only marginal interested to the general fan as they are only tracks used for scoring the movies. A HARD DAYS NIGHT has four instrumental tracks used for movie scoring which are currently unavailable. THE BEATLES’ SECOND ALBUM supposedly has some tampering to it to the actual recordings themselves, though what I do not know. The U. S. version of HELP! contains five tracks of Ken Thorpe’s film score from the movie, which makes it like the YELLOW SUBMARINE album.