1 comments about Singles Boxset, Vol. 2.

1. Once again Marillion have succeeded in releasing the perfect package. If there ever was one band that understands the fans, their wants, and their needs, it's Marillion. Every reissue and remaster has been perfect in every way, and this box set is no exception.

   If you already own volume one, the Fish years, then you know what this box is about. If not, then read on...

   What we have here is a complete set of every single that Marillion released on EMI from 1989 to 1995. In other words, every single from the four Hogarth era EMI albums. When they say complete, they mean it. Over the course of 12 CDs, Marillion have lovingly collected every B-side from every format of each single. Remember these singles were originally released on such archaic formats as 7" and 12" vinyl, sometimes with different tracks on each! As we moved on into the 90's, often a band would release a CD single in two parts that you had to purchase separately. Marillion have combined every track from every format, and put them all on one CD for each single. They have created super-singles for each one, if you will!

   To top it off, all the original artwork has been retained, and the music has been wonderfully digitally remastered. All housed in an attractive box with some Brave-era artwork on it.

   If you're a fan of Marillion, and particularly a collector of the band, this solves a lot of headaches. You don't need to track down old vinyl and out of print CD singles anymore to hear these B-sides. While some have been heard on the Marillion remasters and a few on compilations, this is the first time that everything has been released to CD. Enjoy...until Seasons End.

4 comments about Singles Box.

1. THIS IS ALL THE SINGLES IN ONE PACKAGE AT A REASONABLE PRICE TOO BAD THEY DIDN'T PUT THEM ON FEWER DISCS TO SAVE SPACE



2. After I got introduced to Blondie last spring with "The Curse of Blondie" I was in an all out search for everything Blondie I could consume. Several group albums & three Debbie Harry solo albums later, I'm close to accomplishing my goal. Though, on a many shopping trips to my local F.Y.E. store with my boyfriend, I saw this deluxe box set of Blondie's singles from their first self-titled album all the way through to 1982's "The Hunter", I had to have it. Though "One Way or Another" is a glaring omission, what you get still keeps this set with a five star rating.
   
   I finally purchased it this summer & have to say that it was worth the price tag. You get all of the singles as they were presented in seven inch vinyl format, in a CD single format. This includes all the original artwork on the front & back of the original 45! You get many b-sides that were most likely unavailable from their first few singles off of "Blondie" & "Plastic Letters". You also get alternate versions of album tracks such as "Live It Up" from 1980's "Autoamerican", instrumental versions, twelve inch versions, French versions, Spanish versions, the whole lot basically!
   
   Also, the singles come placed in beautiful box done up in 1977's "Parallel Lines" art design in chronological order. A booklet with color photo's of Blondie & Debbie is included as well. Of course the hit single "Maria" & subsequent singles from the 1999 reunion album "No Exit" are not here & neither are the singles from 2004's "The Curse of Blondie". But this set I believe was meant to highlight their peak period of singles.
   
   I recommend this to the Blondie fan who may have these all on vinyl & wants them on CD, or for that new Blondie fanatic, who like me, had to have it all. I highly recommend.



3. Just about anything Blondie is great. Just to let buyers know. Atomic and Heart Of Glass new (Diddy,etc.) mixes ARE available on CD singles. If you search for them here on Amazon you can see the tracklist and maybe find a used copy.



4. This is an amazing collection of singles! I think it is highly essential for a Blondie fan. The quality of the songs is quite amazing considering all of the songs have been remastered. The best part of the collection is the inclusion of bonus and alternate versions for certain songs. The Disco Version of "Heart Of Glass", the Special Disco Mix of "Rapture", and the Extended Mix of "War Child" make this collection essential. Also, the inclusion of the "Call Me" single makes this set worthwhile too. "Call Me" was only available in it's Long Version on the American Gigolo Soundtrack and the re-release of AutoAmerican.
   
   The only track I wish would have been included was "One Way Or Another". It's kinda funny how that is not on here and that is one of Blondie's big hits. Also, the 1995 remixes of "Heart Of Glass" from Diddy, MK, and Richie Jones would have been good too, considering they had only been available on vinyl, and if they were on CD, they were on two different remix CDs that I was able to locate. Same with the Armand Van Helden and Diddy mixes of "Atomic." Also, I wish the Medley from Blondie's performance at that one awards ceremony would have been nice too. And the come-back single "Maria."
   
   All in all, I think this collection rocks!

2 comments about Greatest Hits.

1. This import Box Set from Argentina is a great deal, considering the low cost. It has the 18 songs listed of The Cure's Greatest Hits, those same 18 songs performed in an Acoustic version and a Region Free DVD of the Greatest Hits which does play in my Region 1 DVD player. The DVD has videos of all 18 of the Greatest Hits, plus six videos of Acoustic versions, including A Forest, The Lovecats, Close To Me, Lullaby, Friday I'm in Love and Just Say Yes, as well as three hidden videos of The Caterpillar, Close To Me and Pictures of You. Both the picture and sound quality are great and I got my copy on Amazon.com for only $10.95 which included the cost of shipping!
   After seeing the well crafted videos of these songs, and hearing the Acoustic version of them, it has given me a whole new appreciation for The Cure. Considering the individual cost of The Greatest Hits CD or The Greatest Hits DVD, this is by far the best bargain and why you should Just Say Yes!



2. The Cure! How can you go wrong? You really can't. The Acoustic Hits are GREAT!! And I mean GREAT!! The arrangements and Sound Quality are AMAZING. BUT BEWARE! The discs are labled incorrectly. Disc 1 is labled Acoustic Hits and it is really the Greatest Hits. Disc 2 is Labled Greatest Hits and it is really the Acoustic Hits. Also the DVD is a PAL not a NTSC/All Regions as in the editorial notes. Be prepared to have a DVD player that converts PAL to NTSC. Whatever you do, buy this on for the Acoustic Hits, even if it is labled wrong.
   
   Someone who has this box set, please respond. What is your experience with this?

No comments about Yerself Is Steam/Lego My Ego +DVD.

4 comments about Beyond the Valley of the Gift Police.

1. This album was very good. However, it seemed to lack the passion and energy that so many of Jello's albums have displayed so very well. Sure, Jello wrote and researched well, but there were few moments when you could really feel that glorious liberating feeling that comes out of so many other speeches from Jello's glory days. However, this album does happen to contain my favorite of his SW pieces: "Eric Meets the Moose Diarrhea Salesman". Being a fan, it's so entertaining to hear about how he got to where he is. And, if you're not a fan I think you'll like it too. Give it a try....



2. The truth is far stranger than this



3. Jello Biafra, former lead singer of the Dead Kennedys, continues to perform punk rock without the music on "Beyond the Valley of the Gift Police." He also has the quality that most good speakers possess -- even when you disagree with him, you still enjoy his ranting and raving. This is the fourth in a series of spoken word efforts, all of which, I would argue, are of the same general level of substance and quality. Maybe it is because the substance is essentially the same and always poignant -- the police state is coming/here. Like an evangelist who warns us of the final days of earth, Biafra warns us about the final days of freedom. Big Brother, big government is the antichrist, and no one delivers this message so well. Part of this stems from his own experience, which he recounts in one way or another throughout his spoken word recordings, as an artist persecuted by the establishment. For those of you who are unaware, Biafra was arrested and charged with distributing harmful matter to minors and tried in Los Angeles in the latter 1980's (there was a hung jury and the case was dismissed). Biafra's food for thought is seasoned heavily with contempt for the religious right and absolute paranoia with respect to government control -- you get the feeling he is expecting a death squad to be waiting for him outside of the lecture hall at some points. Even so, you, the listener, wind up asking yourself, "What if even 10% of this is true?" It is alarming, to be sure. Unlike many others who peddle inflammatory rhetoric on one subject or another, however, Biafra frequently throws out the sources of his information for his audience. Ultimately, his message really is, "Don't take my word for it, check it out yourself." To use the Bill Maher line from "Politically Incorrect," somebody's got to say it. If somebody's got to say it, you can't do any better than Biafra.



4. Jello has has agreat series of Spoken Word Albums and this is by far the best one!

3 comments about Greenpeace: Rainbow Warriors.

1. I picked this up while I was in college from a second-hand store. These two tapes turned out to be the best. road. tapes. ever. Very useful considering I had a 5.5 hour drive to visit my family and the big city. Brilliant.



2. There are 2 discs in this set both with the same # 075992423625.
   
   Tracks Disc #1:
   1. 4:34 U2 / Pride (In The Name Of Love)
   
   
   2. 4:15 The Pretenders / Middle Of The Road
   
   
   3. 4:07 Belinda Carlisle / Heaven Is A Place On Earth
   
   
   4. 4:17 World Party / Ship Of Fools
   
   
   5. 4:30 Eurythmics / When Tomorrow Comes
   
   
   6. 4:22 Bryan Ferry / Don't Stop The Dance
   
   
   7. 3:32 Sting / Love Is The Seventh Wave
   
   
   8. 4:01 Aswad / Set Them Free
   
   
   9. 4:25 Greatful Dead / Throwing Stones
   
   
   10. 5:18 Little Steven / Balance
   
   
   11. 3:10 INXS / This Time
   
   
   12. 4:23 Thompson Twins / Lay Your Hands On Me
   
   
   13. 3:01 R.E.M. / It's The End Of The WorldAs We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
   
   
   14. 4:43 Huey Lewis And The News / Small World
   
   
   15. 7:13 The Silencers / Scottish Rain
   
   
   16. 3:45 Lou Reed / Last Great American Whale
   
   
   17. -69:23 Talking Heads / City Of Dreams
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   Tracks Disc #2:
   1. 5:08 Simple Minds / Waterfront (Live)
   
   
   2. 4:44 Bryan Adams / Somebody
   
   
   3. 5:38 Peter Gabriel / Red Rain
   
   
   4. 5:29 Bruce Hornsby And The Range / Look Out Any Window
   
   
   5. 5:07 John Farnham / You're The Voice
   
   
   6. 5:00 The Waterboys / The Whole Of The Moon
   
   
   7. 4:13 Basia / Miles Away
   
   
   8. 3:51 Blue Rodeo / Rebel
   
   
   9. 5:19 Terence Trent D'Arby / Let's Go Forward
   
   
   10. 4:19 John Cougar Mellencamp / We Are The People
   
   
   11. 5:46 Martin Stephenson And The Daintees / Wholly Humble Heart
   
   
   12. 4:04 Hothouse Flowers / Hard Rain
   
   
   13. 4:58 Robbie Robertson / Somewhere Down The Crazy River
   
   
   14. 4:45 Sade / I Will Be Your Friend
   
   
   15. 5:18 Dire Straits / Why Worry



3. I assume the proceeds from this went to a worthy cause. But more importantly, this is a great sampler of the late 80's alt/pop music scene. It's a 2 cd set, although I believe you can get them seperately. DISC ONE has 17 tracks of great bands like U2, Pretenders, Sting, INXS, Bryan Ferry, the Grateful Dead, REM, Lou Reed, and many more. DISC TWO is 14 tracks with Peter Gabriel, the Waterboys, John Mellencamp, Sade, and others. Disc one is the better of the two. It would be nice if Greenpeace released a new compilation like this. Too bad there's just not the same quality of groups around today. And too bad this is out of print. Peace.

5 comments about Chaos for Breakfast.

1. "Chaos for Breakfast" gathers early singles from Killing Joke's career together with a disc of unreleased demos. Each of the early singles ("Nervous System", "Wardance", "Requiem" and "Follow the Leaders") are presented on their own disc with the demos on a bonus disc, this is packaged together with a number of photos and brief liner notes. The music sounds brilliant and in your face, remastering is done to assure it sounds fresh and crisp, in your face like it was recorded yesterday (certainly better than the unremastered releases for the albums sound).
   
   The music itself-- the "Nervous System" single is actually very unique sounding, even Killing Joke would largely abandon this sound-- its very open, with funky, dub rhythms and really non-dense guitar playing. The material itself is essential, in particular "Turn to Red" and "Are You Receiving" (the latter being a bit more punky than the rest of the material).
   
   Two singles are included from their first album-- "Wardance" and "Requiem". "Wardance" is a different mix than appeared on the album, though I much prefer the album version-- this is more the classic KJ sound, the dub bass, tribal drums, and dense, punky guitars. Its B-side, "Pssyche", is one of the really great Killing Joke features, a live favorite certainly, with its dance beat and tossed off vocal, its full of the sort of energy and power that made the first Killing Joke album so amazing. The third disc, "Requiem", is largely extraneous-- its not that the material isn't great, the dark, churning, "Requiem" and the dance beats driving "Change" are among the best Killing Joke material, its just that these two tracks are available in this form on the band's first album, albiet not sounding as good as this. The demo of "Requiem" on the end of this is really not substantially different from the released version until the ending, where it suffers from some bizarre production choices thankfully not used on the album.
   
   From the second Killing Joke album comes "Follow the Leaders"-- a dub/punk song presented here in its original version and with a dub mix and the original lyrics intact. While the album version (and the b-side "Tension") are both available on "what's THIS for...!" (although again, they're both great songs-- in particular the rhythm section is on fire on "Follow the Leaders"), the two mixes are nice to have. THe dub mix is more or less an instrumental take on the song, smartly shortened in length to prevent its repetitive nature from getting annoying. The original lyrics are largely unnoticable-- the piece itself is nearly identical, but its nice to have from a collector's standpoint.
   
   The fifth disc is probably the most interesting for collectors, its nearly an hour's worth of demos from the first two albums. While this sounds interesting, much of it is just the album versions minus a few overdubs, and the 19 minute dub piece gets really irritating after a while.
   
   In the final analysis, this set is a bit expensive for what it is-- just under two hours of music-- the presentation is beautiful, but its really for collectors only.



2. I had drooled over these singles in the past, but between scarcity and cost I had been unable to pick up many of them. This truly is some of the best work Killing Joke did and any fan of theirs definitely needs to hear these songs. That being said, someone mentioned that the price was too steep, and I agree. If you go on amazon's uk site however, you can order it for the equivalent of about $22, which is only a fraction of the $70 something they charge on this site. Don't ask me why their system works that way, but it did and I saved a whole lot of money.



3. I have to say, this set is just awesome. In it are faithful reproductions of the singles as they came out on vinyl. You even get little stickers and things with most of the singles. The quality is great and you also get a little folder with a bunch of vintage pix of the band. The only thing I wish it included was some commentary from the band about each single and maybe some lyrics, but thats minor compared to the overall set.
   
   I would like to point out the one reviewer that ignorantly stated that this was a set of remixes. It is not! He obviously has not seen nor heard this set and placed his review purely on ignorance and bias towards box sets. Anywho...
   
   This is truly a must have item for those fans of The Joke! I know I don't regret making this investment in fine music :)



4. For anyone who wants to understand why Killing Joke were such an influential group in the post-punk period, this boxed set from Malicious Damage is absolutely required listening. Mike Coles, the original graphic designer for KJ who runs the Malicious Damage record label, has painstakingly recreated the original vinyl releases from the band and remastered them on individual CDs. This package also includes all the original album artwork, plus two booklets of images that document the band's visual development. From Nervous System to the original 7-inch version of Wardance to the original version of Follow the Leaders, these are powerful songs that showcase Geordie's stinging guitar sound, Youth's pulsing bass, and Big Paul Ferguson's riveting drumming, as well as Jaz's electronic shroud and apocalyptic shrieking. However, the real hidden gem in this box is the CD of demos of songs from the first two albums. This CD alone is worth the price of the boxed set. A must for any fan of the Joke!



5. First of all let me say KILLING JOKE rules ! ! But even the most die hard is not going to spend that kind of money on a bunch of re-mixes !I'm sure the re-mixes are better than the original ! But come on, its too much to spend on an impot !

5 comments about One Hit Wonders: Hard 2 Get Hits.

1. The way I look at it, a One-Hit Wonder is a singles-oriented person/group who has either just the one hit or comes up with just one hit single infrequently as opposed to the ones with hit albums over a relatively frequent period. Even then, there are some acts that don't fit this description either like Jeff Beck and Jimmy Cliff who had some brilliant albums but for the most part, this definition holds. In any case, if you can get over the name and not judge the cds by the cover (which is quite cool by the way with 8 cardboard slipcases enclosed in an easy to open larger cardboard case), the quality of the sound that has been very well remastered and the track selections are great. The are many tracks here that I wanted but I just didn't want to get the rest of the fillers that came with their individual albums: "La Dolce Vita", "Hocus Pocus", "Hooked On a Feeling" (made famous by Ally McBeal's dancing baby), "Streets of London", "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton, "Una Paloma Blanca", "You To Me Are Everything" by the Real Thing, "Let's All Chant", "My Sharona" (single version), "Sad Eyes", "Rapper's Delight", "Pop Muzik" by M, "Bette Davis'Eyes", "Centerfold", "Just An Illusion" by Imagination, "Jeopardy" by the Greg Khin Band, and "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Just imagine what you'd need to pay to get (if you can even find them or even want to get the whole albums)the albums these singles came from? Given that and the great remastering job, this is actually very good value for money. A definite keeper for years and years to come. Recommended.



2. This is one of the worst "collections" I have ever seen. First of all, the definition of a one hit wonder is an artist or group that had only one hit song. Therefore the following artists were NOT one hit wonders: Wanda Jackson, The Shirelles, Bobby Vee, Johnny Tillotson, Chubby Checker, Peter & Gordon, Jay & The Americans, Al Martino, Eric Burdon, Bobby Goldsboro, Tommy James & The Shondells, Don McLean, Paul Anka, Al Stewart, Crystal Gayle, Gerry Rafferty. The Knack, Kim Carnes, Juice Newton, J. Geils Band. Greg Kihn Band, Poison, MC Hammer, and a few that I probably missed. The songs are great, but the misrepresentation is unforgiveable...Save your money on this one if what you are looking for is a true compilation of One Hit Wonders.



3. Yes there are a few artists & groups here that had other great songs but this is the one of the best collections of its kind. Sit back, relax and enjoy for years to come.



4. This is a Dutch compilation. Therefore the references to one hit wonders would be according to Netherlands charts.



5. Wow, whoever came up with this album chose some great music, just the worst title ever. I didn't recognize all the songs, but as I scrolled down I saw the song "Every Rose Has its Thorn." Poison was NOT a one-hit wonder. I can think of many other songs they sang: Talk Dirty to Me, Fallen Angel, Unskinny Bop, Look What the Cat Dragged In, just to name a few. I also thought it was funny that the name of the artists were left off. Could that be because they didn't want you to start thinking about who the artists were? Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

2 comments about Who Can You Trust-Beats & B-Sides.

1. Believe or not I bought this CD for little less that 8 bucks.Those people probably have no clue how good this CD is. Morcheeba's first trippy sounds and new mixes sound perfect. Highly recommend.



2. This album is an essential to any Morcheeba enthusiast's collection. It blends the raw, unpolished sound that the band is obviously capable of.

5 comments about Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century.

1. This is an impressive collection-- a century's worth of great music. 26 discs, covering many different genres.
   
   And while there is plenty of variety here, it is very much weighted to the modern era. Only eight of the 26 discs contain pre-1950 material, and of those eight, most contain only about half-a-disc's worth of pre-1950 material. It is certainly true that fewer recordings were made in the early days of the technology, but to call it a "Soundtrack for a Century" and ignore half the century seems very misguided.
   
   What would have made a much more interesting collection would have been a set that looked at the most popular recordings of each era and genre. Since there are six discs of "pop" music here, why not divide the discs into roughly equal spans of time (1900-1915, 1915-1930, 1930-1945, etc.) and include the top-selling records of that era? The same with classical, jazz, r&b, and so on. This would make for a much more balanced collection.
   
   I recommend this set only if you find it for an incredibly good price. There is a lot of fascinating music here, but the collection is not good enough to warrant the extremely high price tag.



2. When it comes to box sets it is really hit or miss. And any box set that is over $100 has a bigger chance of sitting on the shelf for years than a cheaper one. Sony should have sold the disks individually. I think they would have made A LOT more revenue off this unit. I ended up getting a lot of the songs I wanted (20s, 30s, 40s) from iTunes. Just because selling it as a box set makes it convenient doesn't mean it will set. There are 5 or 6 discs that I would buy. But I can't afford nor want it ALL. Check it out on iTunes before you buy. It was a great idea and effort on Sony's part. I wish more studios would do these kinds of compilations!



3. The sample tracks are actually the first five tracks on disc 25 (even though they are next to the first 5 tracks of disc 1. There are over 400 hundred tracks- but only 5 sample tracks we can listen to- doesn't seem right.
   Many good songs- but the collection is way to pricey. If you don't have any of these songs, or not too many, maybe it is a good deal, but most people already have a fair amount of these songs.



4. Yes, there is some great music on this set. That is undeniable. No, I wouldn't even dream of buying it. Basically, to sum it up, anything set that places work by Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong next to the "work" of Will Smith or Mariah Carrey is an abomination that must be scorned at all costs. By placing art beside garbage, the attempt is to elevate the garbage, but the result is that it defames the art. The existence of this set insults me. I could just see the vapid Sony Music suits pieceing together this monstrosity--- This set, in a word, disgusts me. By placing the sublime beside the profane, Sony has insulted serious music fans everywhere. At best, this could serve as a thesis about the Kamikaze-decline of popular music over the years. Revolting. Go build your own record collection, don't let some dim-wit corporate tool do it for you.



5. I was happy to see Bob Dylans work on the albums so many times. His work is truly brilliant but i don't know why they put The Byrds version of Mr.Tambourine man instead of his.