1 comments about Singles Box, Vol. 1.

1. This is a nice collection of the Cardigans' hits and b-sides, but I don't think it's worth spending $35+. Instead, I suggest you buy "Other Side of the Moon" which contains all the b-sides featured here (with the exception of "Pike Bubbles") + a few more b-sides for about 10 bucks less.

4 comments about The Entire History of Punk.

1. While I was happy to see this set includes bands such as the Dead Kennedys, Stiff Little Fingers, and the UK Subs, it still isnt the "entire" history of punk. There are a lot of bands who should have been included here. But I take it this is an import from England or somewhere. The set is mostly made up of bands FROM england and the UK. Maybe American bands were/are kind of overlooked in the UK. But consider these few American bands that made a HUGE difference and a big impact on music as a whole-not just punk. The MC5 are included in the set (!!!) but other bands were not included ....of course. Also consider buying these bands CDs individually to get the MOST from them!
   
   * Black Flag
   * Minutemen
   * Misfits
   * Television
   * Richard Hell and the Voidoids
   * Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers
   * X
   I could go on all day about the over-looked bands....
   
   ......and as for the Stiff Little Fingers....I suggest you check out "All the Best" or any individual CD of theirs...(pref. their older stuff) to hear their amazing songs. A really good Belfast band! and..... CLASH FOREVER!!! JOE STRUMMER R.I.P.



2. Unfortunately the person that put together this 'entire' history of punk did not do his homoework. He did a fantastic job of finding every early 80s Brit-Punk (I know there are other bands but not that many.)band but forgot every other region and time period in which punk had existed. Thus at bes tthe title is a misnomer and at worst it is a blatant lie. Basically what this collection is analogous to is a student who used only one book on his term paper and claimed that he knows everything that there may be on the selected topic.
   As exhaustive as the collection may seem, it still does not manage to give us every single Brit-Punk band forgetting quite a few of the lesser ones and some of the greater ones such as Deadmans Shadow, the Sex Aids, and Red Alert I think are missing.
   All of this is ok of course if it were not for the random arrangement of the songs. The songs are not arranged either chronologically nor alphebetically. What this means for the listener is that if he is not familiar with any given band he will have to refer back to the booklet because he will have no way of finding out just by guessing as it is like poking a needle in a haystack. Furthermore the collection misses Germany and Sweden and Finalnd completely, and stops the history of punk in the early 80s.
   There is plenty of music on this collection however it could have not only been better arranged but more could have been included. Plus the price is rather bad.



3. The title is over the top but what the hell. I've heard a lot of complaints about this collection, especially concerning the quality and the bands that are missing. But, on the plus side, there are a lot of bands contained on this collection. If you are an old punk then it will be good to remember a lot of bands you had forgotten. Even the stuff you didn't like! If you were not around at the time then you get a good picture of what it was all about, not just the highlights. The company obviously could not afford to buy the rights to everything so they have had to rely on some dodgy bootleg live stuff - but that adds rather than detracts from the charm (if charm is the word).



4. This set is a lot of bang for the buck. About 300 mostly forgotten songs on twenty jam-packed CD's. But the sound quality is very poor. It sounds better on bad stereo equipment. Maybe that's ideal for any punk set. The booklet is sketchy and contains no information beyond song titles. I even wonder if the company that put this out legally licensed all this music. That said, I have it at my office and it's cool listening.

5 comments about Chimera.

1. I have always enjoyed Delerium music and when I saw that this CD came with a Bonus Videos I was stoked. I love being able to have great visuals with great music. So when this CD arrived I went strait to the DVD player and put the Bonus disc in.
   Didn't work...
   
   To my surprise I found out that I have to play this on my computer to watch the videos and must be linked to the internet.
   I paid an extra 5 dollars to be able to watch something via internet when I can just go strait to Youtube and see the same thing.
   
   This is not a bad rating because of the music, love the music. Just pissed about the viewing format of the videos.



2. I bought this CD out of curiosity that there could be such a divergence of opinion about the music of a group I enjoy a lot.
   
   It's true that the songs have the feel of popular music, which I don't listen to. One or two of the songs border on what I will tolerate in sweet sixths and over production. ("Magic" is an example, complete with fairly trite lyrics).
   
   But the outstandingly strong songs her vastly outnumber and outpower the weak. I think "After All" and "Run for It" are a couple of the most interesting songs musically I've heard in 2007. Leigh Nash on "Run for It" is a real discovery, and from my research on her, I don't think she's ever done better.
   
   On the whole, Chimera has some of the most imaginative music on it that I have in my Library, which includes past Delirium CDs that lean much more toward ambient electronic. As far as the genre "pop electronica-Female Vocalist" goes, this is close to the peak.



3. Chimera is my favorite Deleruim album; I am flabbergasted by the reviews who give it one star. I know everyone has different taste but really, if you hate it this much then maybe you shouldn't be listening to it...
   
   The richness and electrifying variety of songs and melodies here is enough to satisfy my crankiest hunger for good music. After a few listens I was still amazed how every song seemed to sound even better than the last, and this feeling pretty much continued until the end of the disc. For those who like Enigma, Oakenfold, Orbital, Zero 7, Tiesto, Enya and the likes this will be a nice new addition to the new age/electronic/chill out genre. Delerium is hard to pin point; their style is a mélange of soundscapes, ethereal ambient, some dance, pop and electronic.
   
   There are many mystical elements to this album; chants and monks, piano that sounds like a silver rain trickling down, exotic languages, pipes and the whole shebang as swirls of music filter trough the breathy vocals. When listening to Chimera one minute I feel like a monk in a medieval sanctuary and the next minute as if I was on a dance floor with lasers and lights shimmering on me, often all within one song.
   
   
   - Kasia S.



4. It's good, but there's a lot of Delerium's stuff I'd recommend before this one.



5. If this doesn't wake your spirit
   then nothing will. I do recommend
   you give this music a try....you will
   be sold. Recommended highly.

No comments about Complete Set - Interview CD & Book.

5 comments about Silver Box.

1. An excellent retrospective on simple minds. It is a completist item yes that is a fact but taking it as what it is it is an awesome box.
   Yes It should have contained live tracks from neapolis and cry, but still awesome to hear the band in this new refreshing way.
   The lost album is an awesome perk...
   ...if you're a fan if you love Simple minds, buy it you won't give it less than 4 stars, that is my opinion.



2. GREAT BOX SET!!! Everything by Simple Minds is simply fantastic. I love the diversity of all their albums including the very rare stuff by them. I don't care what they sing, they are stuck with me for life.
   
   Cindy



3. If you are a Simple Minds fan looking to complete your collection with this boxset, I advise you to just forget it, snap out of it, smack yourself out of it. Don't pay this incredible amount of money for a bunch of inferior demos and live recordings. And if you're like me, this 5 disc set may make you re-evaluate your entire fixation with the band. Rather than make a strong case for the band it just makes it look like an old outdated odyssey. The long "lost" album Our Secrets Are The Same should have remained lost. It's one of the dullest things they've ever done.



4. I was very excited about the release of Silver Box because it included the "lost" album "Our Secrets Are the Same." Perhaps I need more time to digest all five disks, but it didn't really rattle my cage. I more enjoyed the earlier cuts, studio demos of Jim and Charlie's first few albums. I agree that the song list is quite uneven. I would have hoped for more of their earlier work, especially the songs that are only available on the out-of-print "Early Years" album. The addition of "Our Secrets Are the Same" is also a disappointment. If you want new material from Simple Minds, buy "Cry" and wait for "Black and White." This is not essential.



5. I agree with everything the viewer said, except that "Real Life" is one of Simple Minds worst albums, what do you mean?? I mean you have got to be kidding, just listen to Real Life, Rivers Of Ice, Bangin On The Door, See The Lights, Let There Be Love, wow never have I thought of this, actually this might be one of their best albums! If I had to put a tag on one "not so great" album would have to be Neapolis, however thinking that both Glitterball and War Babies are very good songs (probably the only ones that make it stand out) its not so bad, last but not least, Neon Lights is not so great only because its not their music, its performed by them but not theirs, the best one being Dancing Barefoot which they sing it way better than U2.
   
   I can't wait to get my hands on this boxed collection very soon!

2 comments about 100% British Punk.

1. This set is actually a box containing two double CDs, as suggested by the nice gentleman on the first CD with two raised fingers. The first set of CDs is 'Hardcore Punk', featuring one or two tracks from a variety of British Hardcore bands. The second set is 'British Oi!' featuring one track each from 40 different bands. This is a good starting point for anyone interested in British punk music. Both CDs contain notes on each band featured, giving an idea of their output, as well as reproductions of the covers of the singles or EPs on which the featured Songs are found. Basically, if you like any of the bands featured, this set will give you an idea of what else is out there, and if you don't like it, you can always give it to grandma as a Christmas present.



2. This set is actually a box containing two double CDs, as suggested by the nice gentleman on the first CD with two raised fingers. The first set of CDs is 'Hardcore Punk', featuring one or two tracks from a variety of British Hardcore bands. The second set is 'British Oi!' featuring one track each from 40 different bands. This is a good starting point for anyone interested in British punk music. Both CDs contain notes on each band featured, giving an idea of their output, as well as reproductions of the covers of the singles or EPs on which the featured Songs are found. Basically, if you like any of the bands featured, this set will give you an idea of what else is out there, and if you don't like it, you can always give it to grandma as a Christmas present.

2 comments about Touch Sensitive: Bootleg.

1. Well, I went through all the incarnations of this very prolific band/singer songwriter (the imitible Mark E. Smith).
   For me, being a tad older, the original FALL (whatever that might mean!) in the mid to late seventies (had already gone through a few line-up changes) had a foundation of Scanlon , Burns, and Hanley which lasted through damned near two decades - in the late 90s Smith (a notorious drunkard, as well as a wild and outrageously bombastic rant/poet) fought with and fired the long time collaborators.
   Since then, i'm not sure his band has been altogether one thing.
   I caught them in London in 98 and it was more or less (as a friend quipped) looking like a band of his daughters.
   
   But the current incarnations of the Fall are tight and musically adept. And these live concerts all around the end of 2001 - attest to an ingenuity and enjoyable noisiness that can only be the fall. Smith is on, mostly, he doesn't do the stuff he did in the early days - chatting amicably with the audience, or teasing them - he's more the lost in the lyrics type now (looking a bit like a cross between a ravaged Lou Reed and a starving owl). The thing that has always made the Fall so a different experience is MES's lyrics, and delivery. He has almost always been a strange rapper he talk drones his poetry - timing it with the guitars and drums. He rarely sings, and even this has been the joke of some older songs.
   
   So, what is this Set of Cds? 5 shows of the fall, showcasing MOSTLY material honed from the period recent to 2001.
   Cropduster is a stand-out of this period - the impressive studio version of which is on the ARE YOU ARE MISSING WINNER album.
   Purposely misspelled and almost the most perfect fall thing to do -
   
   the other thing to know about this band is that they have always championed LOW production value. They are a garage band first and foremost and damned-near always have been. They have been pretty - especially in the era of the early to mid 80s with Brix Smith - (who was as cute as a monkey) but they aren't pretty anymore.
   They are gritty, original, and captivating.
   
   Someone once said that there's more on just the liner notes from a fall album than there is most other band's entire records!
   
   and that is probably still true.



2. The perfection, the brilliance of this band DOES come across to me on this 5-CD collection, moreso than on recent studio albums. Those albums had some great stuff on them. But they also had lesser material on them.

   It has to be said also that some of the group's material, especially songs from the quickly-recorded "Are You Our Missing Winner" sounds better on here from these gigs than it did on the album. Much of this material is meant to be played live, and sounds perfect live. "Crop Dust", "Beourgeousie Town", "Kick the Can", and "Way Round" to pick three sound here like they should. "Ketamine Sun" is another.

   The Fall continue to promulgate a garage-rock aesthetic unlike anyone else on the planet. Smith and his cohorts continue to mine a rich vein of minimalist noise crossed with rhythmic complexity. They continue to journey into the heart of rock and roll darkness, emerging time and time again with gems that connect 50's rock to 60's garage to 70's punk to 90's grunge to new millenium dance. This band will be understood by future generations as something that was really great, and really undervalued by undiscerning consumers.

   I don't like everything that Fall produces, but I like this a lot. I recommend this to anyone who thinks they might be interested in it.

No comments about Suicide.

5 comments about At Least, At Last.

1. I wrote a bad review for Ken's solo CD. I said he should make it up to his fans, and this does, but if your a fan you know, and by now, have this in your collection. It's amazing.



2. I'm a devoted fan of The Posies, but I have to admit I was initially wary about buying this box set, based on the sludgy "Alive Before The Iceberg" performances. But I'm definitely glad I picked this up -- it's given me a new appreciation of the early songwriting/singing talents of Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer. The crack-the-whip performance of "I May Hate You Sometimes" and the raw guitar melody of "Suddenly Mary" demo are Disc 1 highlights. The crackly, electric harmonies on "Solar Sister" and "Ladies and Gentlemen" (which later morphed into "Every Bitter Drop" on the group's last studio album, "Success") alone carry Disc 2. On Disc 3, "Come Along And Dance" combines a bittersweet wistfulness with raw rock 'n' roll guitar crunch, while the demo of "Everybody Is A Fucking Liar" reveals how strong this song was before Ken and Jon put the finishing touches on it. Finally, not to be missed is the ebullient fun of "Oceanic Exploration" (a.k.a. "Flavor Of The Month") that the band recorded for Bill Nye, Science Guy, and a note-for-note faithful cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" (OK, the band credits at the end of the song are a bit of a departure from the original, but otherwise it sounds just like Rick Nielson, Robin Zander, Bun E. Carlos and Tom Petersson!) If you're not into The Posies yet, start with "Frosting On The Beater," "Success" and "Amazing Disgrace" before you invest in this. But I promise that once you're really a fan of The Posies, you won't be disappointed with this box set. And it has cool liner notes, too.



3. Talk about getting more than you bargained for. A few short years ago, we were told the Posies had broken up. Yet between 1999 and 2000, we have seen a plethora of Posies releases (two live albums and a Best-of), a brilliantly executed acoustic tour, and now, a four-CD box set of unreleased Posies material? If all bands who break up are this active, I hope all my (other) favorite bands break up too.

   Now let's examine what we have here. Four (!) CDs of previously unreleased demos, live recordings, a few scattered b-sides, covers (Blondie, Cheap Trick, Big Star, MC5), and most amusingly, actual Muzak recordings of two of yr favorite Posies hits. For the hardcore-Posies head, this is manna.

   While it's really not necessary for anyone other than devout Posies fanatics, their greatness would be obvious to anyone listening to this box. Put simply, Ken and Jon are exceptional songwriters, two of the best we've seen in the past twenty years or so. Startlingly insightful, literate, bitingly sarcastic, with a talent for pop melody that rivals the greats (McCartney, Difford/Tilbrook, Chilton/Bell). It's all here, and it's all blindingly obvious. Even on these outtakes. This is a testament to the Posies; a band that combined the melodic genius of Big Star or Badfinger and the lyrical brillance of an Elvis Costello, and who on an angry day could rock as hard as Nirvana or Mudhoney.

   The demos are interesting, since many of them are full-band performances simply stripped of the various production styles used on whichever record they ended up a part of. For instance, it's fascinating to hear various Dear 23 songs without John Leckie's tower-of-swirling-echo production and realize how some benefited from it ("Any Other Way") and some would have been better off left alone ("Help Yourself"). Likewise, Amazing Disgrace songs like "World", "Fight It (If You Want)", and the particularly brilliant "Throwaway" shine equally when stripped of their grungy-guitar bombast.

   The early recordings are equally fascinating; the charmingly ernest pop of "Thinking Outloud" or "I Don't Want To Talk To You", the rough early live recordings of Failure favorites "Believe In Something (Other Than Yourself)" and "I May Hate You Sometimes" (it's a shame that this box is missing "Saying Sorry To Myself", which previously appeared on the Yellow Pills Vol. 2 compilation and, for me, is the epitome of their early earnest/psychoanalytic period).

   It may be intended just as a treat for fans but this box also effeciently tells the band's story. How Jon and Ken had grown from something great and beautifully naive to something far more complex, as seen on songs like "Burn and Shine" (heard here in an acoustic live performance) by the end of their (first) career. Through it all, their intelligence and inate sense of melody carried them through.

   Here's hoping the story continues for a long long time.




4. Being a long time fan of the Posies, it is hard for me to listen to this cd and not be immediately pleased with just being let into this world of Ken & Jon's. A honour and a pleasure listening to some of my favorite Posies melodies in the fella's original recorded attempts. Not only is this a great fan item, but these four CD's have more to offer beyond fan product. CD 3 is exceptionally beautiful in it's instrumental beginning, it's rocking Blondie cover and some favorites on 4 track recording. To round out this box set is the inclusion of Ken & Jon's notes to each song, along with pictures throughout the years in the over sized liner notes. Even if you've just recently discovered The Posies or Jon or Ken's side careers (Jon Auer Band, Saltine, REM, Orange Humble Band), I would recommend this box set whole heartedly.



5. This box set is an absolute necessity for any serious Posies fan and a great addition to the collection of any "power Pop" entheusiast. Not only is it filled with catchy and poignent songs but it shows the musical development of talented teens to worldly rock stars. From the first live performance all the way to the real sign of success in today's world, muzak versions of their "hits" it is consistently pleasing. There are live versions that show vital energy that was sometimes lost in the studio recordings, shown especially in the first track of the second disc, "Flood of Sunshine". There are demos for other track that give insight to their creative process and the development of their songs. And who can beat a Bill Nye the Science Guy treatment of one of their songs as well as the National Anthem in the now rubble-ized King Dome. This collection is legendary and a pure delight.

5 comments about Clash on Broadway.

1. i got this box set a few years ago and i have to say it's one of the best out there! while some bands put out box sets with just their hits on them and price them high the clash give you not only their best loved songs but they give you unreleased songs/live songs/demos/and different edited of songs! they also add the songs that made it onto the uk version of their 1st album and not the u.s.! the books that come with the box are great! there is one cd book size that contains most of the lyrics from the box(something the studio albums failed to do but will have when they are re-done and relesed with original artwork/pictures in jan. 2000-this set will also get re-mastered and re-done in a smaller package! )the other book is a book that is the size of the box and contains articles on the clash and the band and people around the clash's take on the songs on the 3 cds! )this box set is worth every penny and a must have for every clash fan!



2. Good Lord, the Clash are magnificent. They are by far my all-time favorites. I had the majority of these songs already, but it was well worth the whole package for the ones I did not have. You get the four songs lifted from the US release of "The Clash" ("Deny," "Protex Blue," "48 Hours" and "Cheat"), THREE previously unrealeased tracks ("One Emotion," "Every Little Bit Hurts," beautifully sung by Mick, and the terrific "Midnight to Stevens"). You also get three incredible live tracks ("English Civil War," "I Fought the Law," and "Lightning Strikes"). Most of the band's key tracks are here(a few are missed, namely "Koka Kola," "Hateful," and "Charlie Don't Surf"), with two fist-pumping demos ("Janie Jones" and "Career Opportunities"), two of the best demos I've ever heard; they're on par with the original studio releases. And to end it all, the UNEDITED version of "Straight to Hell." Absolutely incredible. All three discs are so good, I can't pick a favorite. Some people think that the Clash lost their edge near the end, but personally I love "Combat Rock" (heck, I even like a fw of the songs off "Cut the Crap," although we can all agree that the band on that recording is not truly the Clash). Buy this box set now and you will never stop thanking yourself.



3. God I love the Clash. It's almost pointless to try to write why this boxed set is so magnificent. In 63 songs, this once sneering punk band ranges over nearly every musical genre imaginable, and does it with such grace, humor, and passion that it should leave any listener reeling. The second disc may be the greatest collection of rock songs on one CD in music history. This is beautiful music worth believing in.

   By the way, I give VERY few 5-star reviews. I really do consider the Clash to be up there with the Beatles as one of the greatest rock bands in history.




4. this is definetly a good clash set.3 cds spanning the career of the clash.it contains songs from all their studio albums(except cut the crap and the clash fans know why)it all contains some unreleased and hard to find songs.worth the price.go get it.-jason harshman



5. Punk evangelist to the hogs and cornfields, I grabbed my bass and slung it low over my shoulder ala Paul Simeone, dropped it just to my knees and thrashed out covers -- with three only slightly less inept apostles -- of many of these three minute punk classics in 1 minute 59. Did these songs matter? Not to the kids who were happy to just have an angry live band, underage beer, and Monte Carlos to drive, but yeah, it kept the four of us battling, which in hindsight, even middle class kiddees must do. In the end, I knew I wasn't good enough, or clean enough to be a real punk rocker. I didn't realize in my youthful haze, that none of us were, and none that followed will be. It mattered because it mattered.