4 comments about Piss Frond.

1. Wow, DVOA is really something else. The electronic music on disc 1 feels very versatile. The 2nd disc here, the ambient one, is composed predominantly of neverending drones. & they dissonate. This music is probably for rain.



2. PISS FROND is an excellent starting point for anyone who is curious about D.V.O.A. fans of techno, goth, structured songwriting, dance music, drone, ambient, noise...will surely find something to like on this 2 cd set. cd 1 features drums and guitars, strings, verses and choruses, and even some singing; while the 2nd has two outstanding and beautiful drone pieces, as well as some material more akin to the previous albums.



3. Spybey's work, whether solo or with the boys from Download, has always possessed a unique, frenetic light. He rises above his contemporaries to achieve something that is at once totally original and infinitely intrigueing, and he does so with Piss Frond, and does so perfectly. If I were to choose something with which to contrast his work, it would be the On Land era of Brian Eno. Though, even that is something of an invalid comparison, not only due to the fact that one disc is techno-oriented rather than ambient, but also that the intended target of the comparison, the ambient disc, is much more surreal. Not to downplay the originator of the genre, but unlike Eno, who intends to take you somewhere with his music, Spybey just kind of snatches you off the ground and places you in a euphoric limbo. The techno-oriented half of the album is innovative and powerful in this respect as well, it should be noted, with its dizzying showers of sounds and brooding, earth-toned darkness. Mark has outdone himself. I anxiously await what he will release next.



4. When I first picked it up this I thought it was the best DVOA I'd heard; it seems that Spybey has decided to integrate a more tangible techno element into his work, particularly on disc 1 of the pair, and even some vocals. Although some of my initial enchantment has faded, this is still a very interesting and generally very appealing turn for DVOA, and some of the ambient work on disc 2 is quite stellar.

No comments about World of Dance.

1 comments about The Complete Holiday in Sun.

1. This is a 3 cd set. The First two disks are the holidays in the sun concert. Disk three is a comp called 'punks on drugs'.
   This was not what I thought it would be, I thought it would be the studio recordings of the above tracks but it is actually a punk reunion concert held back in the late nineties.

3 comments about Perfect Circle.

1. This is simply an import, not any sort of real boxed set. It comes in different packaging, which makes it a boxed set. There are no additional tracks, just the CD that can be purchased here in the USA.



2. Mer de Noms is definately the best CD I've ever owned. It mixes metal, instrumentals, and lyrical genius, with an overall philosiphy of the world. I'm most impressed with the diversity in song topics: 'Judith' for example, is essentially a sarcastic mockery of Christianity; 'The Hollow' concerns the human libido; and my personal favorite, '3 Libras' is a lyrical mastery of being overlooked. The entire CD has ups, downs, and a completely different sound. Any fan of Alternative music, nonconformist, or otherwise freethinking invidual MUST HAVE IT!



3. It's been four long years since we last heard the musical brilliance of Tool's Maynard James Keenan. Well Mr Keenan is back with a new project. While taking a well-deserved break from Tool, he has collaborated with some of the best in the business to deliver us A Perfect Circle's' debut album entitled Mer de Noms. With Keenan taking charge of the vocals, he is joined by Billy Howerdel(ex Tool, Nine Inch Nails guitar tech) and Troy Van Leeuwen (ex Failure, Enemy) on guitars, Tim Alexander (ex Primus, Laundry) and Josh Freese (Vandals,Guns'n'Roses) on drums and Paz Lenchantin on bass. With a line up like this it would be (almost)inconceivable for anything to go wrong. The album kicks off with the powerful guitar driven song Hollow which gives the band members a chance to show us straight away that they are some of the best in the business. On the track Orestes, Keenans voice sounds haunting as it slowly dances over the melodic sounds. You can tell straight away that this track is going to be a fan favourite. On Thinking of You you can hear the Nine Inch Nails electronic influence and the funky slap bass holds the song together nicely. The first single, Judith, is perhaps the most Tool-sounding song, however you can tell there is a presence throughout the album. An interesting fact about the album Mer de Noms (which is French for 'Sea of Names') is that not one of the 12 songs are over five minutes long, a bit of a change from some of the Tool epics that we have experienced in the past.It's an emotional album that will no doubt appeal to the fans of Tool and Nine Inch Nails but will hopefully gain acceptance from a new audience also. It's a good sign that in a music world which seems increasingly dominated by dance music. The rock scene is still progressing thanks to bands like A Perfect Circle. - Tom Brewer

5 comments about Cigarettes & Carrot Juice: The Santa Cruz Years.

1. This box gives us the first three CVB albums as originally released. Recent reissues have new track sequences with bonus material mixed in. This may not be a terrible idea, but I don't plan on buying them.
   
   The Vantiquities disc is an interesting collection of outtakes etc between both sides of the "Vampire Can Mating Oven" EP (1987). The latest version of Vantiquities (2004) adds five demos from the "Beloved/Pie" era, but sound quality is muddy throughout. Maybe the master tapes got lost. The disc in this box sounds MUCH better.
   
   The live album is a little disappointing. I saw them in 2002 (here in Santa Cruz) and when one of the songs broke down, David said: "Actually we're playing this stuff better than when we were a real band." True. They've gotten a lot better since 1990.
   
   This set is a great way to get the first three albums in their original form, with the original artwork, at a decent price. Vantiquities is a fun sampler of good-to-great leftovers. The live album is solid but no substitute for hearing them live. Five stars.
   
   [In case you were wondering: "II&III" contains the faster/polished version of "We're a Bad Trip". The earlier take is now a bonus track on the 04 reissue.]



2. My wife tried ordering this item thru a Amazon listed seller (caiman) December the 10th it was due to ship out in 3 days (for a x-mas present nonetheless), by end of January it had not shipped. I cancelled our order with caiman and tried to order thru AMAZON itself the same day Feb 3rd i believe. Here it is March the 20th. No nothing , just an endless extending wait. Apparently AMAZON & their sellers feel they can list items they dont , wont and cant stock. Dont waste your time. I just cancelled my order and bought it on E-BAY , it will ship tommorow. Forget Amazon, or unless you like being blown off endlessly by email with no LIVE person to talk to, then by all means order this thru Amazon (or Caiman!). I prefer to spend my money else-where, this has really soured me.



3. 5 great CD's with great songs like "Crossing Over" or "Mao Reminices About his Days in Southern China". The songs on Greatest Hits Played Faster, the live CD, sound better than the recordings on Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart or Key Lime Pie. It is relatively cheap for a 5 CD set.



4. In my wallet I keep a "want list" of music and movies for all of those times I find myself in a store and can't remember that album or movie I wanted. One of the first entries is "Camper Van Beethoven--First three albums". Finally, this wonderful boxed set is available. The collection includes, as stated, all of the band's work from the Santa Cruz years. The CD cases are cardboard miniature reproductions of the original album jackets and the fourth and fifth discs are rarities and a live disc. If you remember the fun of their music and haven't heard it for a while, get this set. It brought back memories of a less responsible time and the music, it seems, hasn't been remastered leaving the vocals slightly buried which was always a part of their sound I liked. They could entertain you with light ska instrumentals or rock with catchy guitar riffs. The extensive liner notes are interesting too, except the part where the writer tries to defend the band's selling out as not selling out but simply wanting to sign to a bigger label to make their music more available. No problem here with selling out if you don't change your music to do it; and that's exactly what they did. I feel their major label stuff just isn't as fun as the early stuff..... and Cracker was horrible. If you remember why you liked Camper Van Beethoven in the first place, buy this set.



5. Last year a friend of mine invited me to see Camper Van Beethoven on their recent limited reunion tour, and although I only had Key Lime Pie, their last full album of new studio material, I agreed. While still a pretty good record, their set proved "Key Lime Pie" to just scratch the surface of their musical diversity. Basic guitar pop songs would rest beside russian can can ska instrumentals, straight country ballads, hardcore punk satire and power-book enhanced Fleetwood Mac covers. Needless to say, I was intrigued by their earlier releases, and the next time I had enough cash to blow, I found myself the proud owner of this box set. Although the first disk is the best in my opinion, all three of the original albums show a creative, clever, unique, and musically talented band at work. In addition, the rarities colection camper vantiquities, despite being a compilation of 3 years worth of material, doesn't feel any more or less cohesive than the rest of their albums, a credit to their freewheeling style, and is far less mixed than one would expect from such a compilation. Finally disc five is a live album mostly drawn from what was to be their final tour in europe, which focuses on material from their two major label albums. While a bit dissapointingly slow for something called "Greatest Hits Played Faster", it still captures some fine perofmances of the band, and is a nice extra, though probably not something you'd want to buy the whole box set for if you already own the rest of the albums. All in all, if you're curious about the band or just want to hear some challenging but catchy diverse rock music, this is a great place to start.

No comments about Big Band Era.

5 comments about Heart and Soul.

1. If you want to get some Joy Division on CD, you need to get this box set. It's just about their complete discography of official releases and contains everything you need - both studio albums, all the singles, and a nice bunch of live recordings. The music is outstanding - kind of a blend of the Doors, The Cure, mixed with a Sex Pistols edge... you can tell JD were a huge influence on U2 and many other bands that followed. Really they have a unique sound all their own that stands out from everything else before or since. The packaging on this box set though flat out stinks. The 2nd time I opened mine it fell apart, seriously. And while the book is thick, the information isn't that good - the writer tried to be artsy and it doesn't come off well; I would prefer a detailed band bio and stuff about the songs. But if you want Joy Division, Heart and Soul is THE item to get. Highly recommended.



2. all i can say is i love this box set, it is perfect and i love joy division.....buy this set now!!!!11



3. I'm in another phase of (re)exploring Joy Division, on the heels of finally watching the excellent Ian Curtis bio-pic "Control", which never made it in the theaters here in Cincinnati but I saw recently on DVD. It happens to me every couple of years that I feel the need the re-listen to this set from start to finish. I bought the original UK-issue of this, back in 1997.
   
   "Heart and Soul" (4CDs, 81 tracks, 309 min.) brings just about everything that Joy Division ever recorded. CD1 (21 tracks; 78 min.) centers around the 1979 debut album "Unknown Pleasures", augmented by assorted singles and outtakes. Listening to tracks like "She's Lost Control", "Shadowplay" and "I Remember Nothing" reminds me why this band is still relevant, almost 30 years later. CD2 (17 tracks; 76 min.) centers around the 1980 album "Closer", again with lots of additional tracks from that era. CD3 (24 tracks; 78 min.) capatures everything else, including the early "Warsaw" music, 3 tracks from the "John Peele Sessions" and a bunch of unreleased stuff, such as the fantastic "Ceremony" and "In A Lonely Place". CD4 (19 tracks; 77 min.) is a collection of live tracks. The sound quality for many of them is not great, but they are still essential. The best of the bunch are the last 5, recorded in December 1979, when the band previewed a number of tracks that would eventually make it on the "Closer" album (released in July, 1980). Check out the live version of "Heart and Soul" and then listen to what it would eventually become in its final studio version, simply fascinating!
   
   This box comes with a wealth of information, including studio session dates, release dates of singles and album, various articles and great liner notes. The article "Good Everning, We're Joy Division" (which was originally published in MoJo in 1994, according to the liner notes) is an eye-opener. This box is essential for any serious Joy Division fan (is there such a thing as the 'casual' fan? maybe, I don't know). And frankly, this is essential for any music lover, as the influence of Joy Division over the years has only grown (check Interpol, She Wants Revenge, and many other bands of this era). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



4. I travelled far and wide through many different times,
   What did you see there?
   I saw the saints with their toys,
   What did you see there?
   I saw all knowledge destroyed.
   I travelled far and wide through many different times.



5. This is as close as you can get to the definitive Joy Division collection. The live material is just as good, with all of the concert recordings coming from the soundboard. This is a welcome change from years of scratchy vinyl audience-recorded bootlegs. The best part of this box set has to be the studio demos of two songs never properly released by Joy Division due to Ian's untimely death - 'Ceremony' and 'In A Lonely Place.'
   
   Although 'Ceremony' was performed at the last live JD venue in Birmingham and found on the Still double LP release, this studio version includes audible lyrics for the first verse. We can't hear Ian in the Still version until the second verse due to soundboard problems. I was disappointed that Peter Hook cuts off 'In A Lonely Place' just as Ian started singing the version that contains, "Hangman looks 'round while he waits; cord stretches tight then in breaks." The official word on this is that during the original demo, the quality of the recording deteriorated after that verse. If that was the case, I'm sure the band would have recorded a second demo after they heard the playback.
   
   After witnessing this release, I was expecting a similar release for New Order, but unfortunately, the New Order box set excludes many early rarities, like Homage, Haystack, and original 1980 recordings sans Gillian Gilbert.
   
   Overall, Heart and Soul is a must have for the avid Joy Division aficionado.

5 comments about From Here to Eternity: The Live Box Set.

1. This is a good opportunity to check how raw was the punk rock in its beginning. Different from the 'punk' rock bands in these days, someone (whose isn't inserted in the punk rock scene) can think this a poor record, but, I assure, this must be listen to understand why this musical genre appeared. Thunders, Nolan and Kane were there! GG Allin lives!



2. As a Dolls fan, I bought this item as soon as I saw it. The song selection
   is excellent, and is an amazing career overview. The only down side(although
   not for me) is the sound quality. If that would deter one from buying this,
   your not as big a Dolls fan as you may have thought you were. A must have for any serious fan of The New York Dolls.



3. According to the placemat on my table at Lim's last night, 2006 is the Year of the Dog. Well, at least they got the first two letters right because even though we're only about halfway in, it appears Year of the DOLL may be closer to the truth. Based on all of the Stooges swag dusted off and cleaned up for consumption by the great unwashed masses last year though, the Chinese nailed it when they christened 2005 the Year of the Cock.
   
   Early track listings for this swanky mini box trumpeted the inclusion of studio demos allegedly superior to those versions ultimately released on the two much-maligned albums which make up the Dolls official discography but like Jimmy Hoffa back in 1975, they've gone missing somewhere between concept and reality. Has anyone checked the Meadowlands?
   
   What we get instead are three discs worth of shows which, with the possible exception of Vancouver (1974), have all been available on various boots and dodgy, semi-official releases over the past 30 years, packaged a hundred different ways under wrappers like "Panic In Detroit," "Paris Le Trash," "Dolls Live: Dallas '74," "Live At My Father's Place," "Hootchie Cootchie Dolls," "Seven Day Weekend," and "Red Patent Leather." For what it's worth - perhaps an afterthought - Castle even throws in three songs from a 1984 Heartbreakers gig in Sweden with Sylvain Sylvain masquerading as Walter Lure, previously available on Receiver Records' "Sad Vacation."
   
   Extra credit to whoever untangled the snarl of licensing rights as well as to whoever has to figure out the distribution of royalties.
   
   True believers in the healing powers of digital technology will be dismayed to learn that it has proved worthless in cleaning up the sound of those dusty old vinyl sides they may have laying around the basement. It's all as boomy, flat, and muffled as ever, even the Detroit show, culled from a WABX-FM simulcast, but it will do in a pinch. Hand-held cassette recorders held high above a sea of tottering, jean-jacketed chunderheads fortified on Quaaludes and cheap wine were never meant to take the place of a soundboard.
   
   But the performances shine BRIGHTLY nonetheless, like the best night of your life crammed into 60-minute blocks of the sound of five guys, with not inconsiderable chemical assistance, not so much reinventing the wheel as fitting it with shiny chrome mags and raised white lettering. Set lists will read like the back of the hand to the faithful aside from the occasional non-LP track and cover like "Lone Star Queen," "Great Big Kiss," "Don't Mess With Cupid," and "Daddy Rolling Stone." Nice to have all of this in one spot, thereby freeing up the vinyl versions for sale on ebay.
   
   Frankly - and I never thought I'd say this - I'm tapped out of adjectives for the New York Dolls, much as I was in 2005 with The Stooges. Reviewing albums by either band without using words like "raw," "fuzz," "proto," "primal," "punk," "drugs," "crash," or "burn" - ad nauseum - is no longer within my wheelhouse.
   
   "From Here To Eternity" clears the Dolls' plate just in time to welcome the dawning of a new epoch. Bring on the new album! I'll meet you there, alright?



4. First of all, the track listing is wrong from what appears on the Amazon site as of 6-14-2006. It's not even close. Second, there are no demos on this. Am I missing something?? I preordered this to get the demos and all we have are live recordings. The sound on this is awful, very similar to the Stooges live recordings. If your familar with those, you know what I mean. I would have given it one star, but it is still a interesting listen, as I love The New York Dolls. I'm shocked they would release this the way it sounds. It appears to be a attempt to make money without putting a dime in cleaning up the sound on this. The Vancouver show is the only decent recording on this release.



5. Nice packaging and liner notes but this is mostly the same old stuff that has been floating around on boots or semi-legitimate releases for years.
   
   Unfortunately there was no magic remastering applied so the crummy sounding stuff still sounds crummy.
   
   One bright spot: I had never heard the Vancouver material before and it is pretty darn good, very listenable.

1 comments about Buddha Beats.

1. Not as strong as the rest
   has on some great songs
   but more lazy but u need to get it
   to have the songs missed on the other cds
   
   Stll u will be satisfied
   and the price is great

No comments about Neat Neat Neat.