5 comments about Live Revolution Rock.

1. This is a killer DVD even tho most of it already available. The naration/no-naration option is very welcome. The naration is short and un-abtrusive. If you have 1 CLASH dvd this - should be it. If you have 1 music dvd - this should be it. If you 1 dvd - this should be it.



2. All I can say is that this is an infuriating DVD because I think it was produced incompetently, with no regard for true fans of Clash music but at the same time has some rare footage and complete songs that are hard to turn down. Arrrgghh! Somebody please re-release this collection properly!



3. As much as I once worshipped the ground The Clash stumbled on, the post-"London Calling" section of their catalog (not to mention Joe Strummer's solo career) is like a kick to the solar plexus or even lower, finally shattering the foolish and naïve notion that in the end, punk rock would ever be anything more than a ruse, a marketing opportunity, a chance for Levi Strauss to sell more blue jeans or Jaguar to sell more X-Types. The less said about Nissan co-opting the band's cover of Toots and the Maytals' "Pressure Drop" to sell even more of their wrecks, especially in this town, the better.
   
   But for a few years at least, before they began to squander their greatness by encouraging Mick Jones to sing ("Lost in the Supermarket," anyone?), dumping the date they brung to the prom with "London Calling," and championing hip hop, The Clash made each note count with an impressive run of albums, singles, and B-sides that may not have all qualified as historic moments in the progression of humanity, but made a certain kid in Detroit pull his head out of the bong for a quick look-see, then scramble for a haircut and pants with narrower legs.
   
   Calling "Revolution Rock" a "documentary" is a bit of a stretch, longtime Clash associate Don Letts providing stilted narration about the band's supposed social and sonic significance between some frantic, heart-palpitating early clips from gigs where they were absolutely white hot and storming the gates, somehow managing to combine the power, excitement, and momentum of The Who with the gristle, flaming grey matter, and manic economy of a thousand American garage bands from the 60's, knocking `em dead everywhere from London to Manchester.
   
   On "White Riot," "1977," "Complete Control," "I Fought the Law," "Clampdown," "Safe European Home," "Tommy Gun," and "London's Burning," their collective energy is more than enough to power the entire UK grid when channeled through Strummer, who pulsates, twitches, throbs, spits, and tics like the nightmarish offspring of a tragic one-night stand between Reddy Kilowatt and Patty Duke as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker," Jones, Paul Simonon, and Topper Headon knees up and going for broke. Anything less would have been unacceptable, unforgivable, and inconceivable.
   
   Their appearance on "The Tomorrow Show" isn't so much notable for their having a go at "The Magnificent Seven" and "This Is Radio Clash" as for the interview with hopelessly-out-of-touch-but-affable host Tom Snyder, redolent with the scent of Lucky Strikes, Johnny Walker, and Hai Karate after a weekend with Hef at the Playboy Mansion, Strummer a beacon of charisma gone supernova. "Joe Public speaking," indeed.
   
   By the time the band began to fancy themselves as artistes (read "Sandinista!"), though, they were done like dinner, stowaways on the kamikaze plane that punk had become in the early 80's, torn between expressing themselves and selling records in quantities that may not have approached Fleetwood Mac-like numbers, but warranted continued support from CBS. It's obvious from their 1982 Shea Stadium appearance in support of The Who - Strummer in coonskin cap and Ray-Bans, Jones in jumpsuit and beret - they were on auto-pilot, going through the motions, looking as if they'd rather be anywhere else. You can see it in their eyes.
   
   As a collection of clips or a snapshot in time, though, "Revolution Rock" will do quite nicely. Your best bet is to fire up the deck and view this sans Letts' travelogue, which at times veers dangerously close to apple polishing, overstating the obvious but failing to reveal anything - no matter how trivial - the band's still-foaming fan base hasn't heard ad infinitum in the last three decades. It may work fine as a lesson in Clash 101, but it's been done before and better.



4. ...the LIVE footage is great. Raw, energetic, unrivalled. The narration is moronic and it treads on the performances. You're better off picking up the From Here to Eternity: Live CD.



5. Every time I see this DVD in my collection I get angry! What a missed opportunity. There is so much great footage available out there but this eagerly awaited live DVD under-delivers in three ways:
   
   
   1 - Almost all of the clips are available elsewhere (there's nothing really new)
   
   2 - Don Letts has the cheek to include his own Tommy Gun clip which is lip-sync video not a live track
   
   3 - The voice-over is patronizing, dumb and annoying.
   
   What would have been great would've been a DVD which took "Clash on Broadway" as an inspiration and delivered a compilation with the same depth and integrity as that CD boxed set.
   
   Instead we get this very lazy cash-in.
   
   A real missed opportunity.

5 comments about Mermaid Avenue.

1. Better than the sum of its contributors, the 2nd song "California Stars" knocks this one out of the park. A true campfire song for the ages. If this record is a bit uneven due to the stylistic differences between Wilco and Billy Bragg, it is only a temporary feeling that a song shuffling to your taste will fix. Repeated listenings belie the depth of talent stretching from the writer to the musicians. Worth the effort to listen a bunch of times. "Way Over Yonder In A Minor Key" features unique harmony vocals from Natalie Merchant, "Hoodoo Voodoo" is as Wilco as they were. "The Unwelcome Guest" is a nice mix of all of 'em, ending the album on a somber, if powerful, note.



2. I think everything has been said already in the previous reviews so there's not much - or rather nothing - I can add.
   
   All I wanted to say is that this is a very special record for me. I listen to a lot of music and own several hundred CDs but this one is really outstanding. I think that this record is really emotional but in a pleasent kind of way. A lot of songs on the album bring tears to my eyes everytime I hear them. The whole project was a great idea and one can feel that the participators put all their heart and love into it.
   
   In short: Mermaid Avenue is one of the records that makes live worth living for me.
   
   I'm a fan of Wilco but I love this one better than any of their studio-albums.



3. We should all thank Nora Gutherie for selecting Billy Bragg and Wilco to put this album together. What a fantastic combination. There are several wonderful songs on this cd. My favorite is "Hesitating Beauty". I was lucky enough to see Wilco perform this on Prairie Home Comapanion last week. It caused me to revisit this album and I'm glad I did.



4. Billy Bragg and Wilco (what a combo!) team up on previously unrecorded Walt Whitman writings and the result is increcible. This is still one of my favorite albums, and, although my husband and I play a wide variety of music, this is an album that everyone likes. For me, it's perfect for a Sunday afternoon.



5. This is one of my all time favorite albums. It is a great colloboration between Wilco, who is one of the greatest bands to come out of the 1990's. I think Jeff Tweedy may be the greatest songwriter working today. For all the talk of the 90's being the grunge, "ironic" decade, there were a few real artists working under the radar, and Wilco/Tweedy was one of them. Billy Bragg is very good here as well. The songs are absolutely wonderful, with the first 5 songs absolutely perfect. Walt Whitman's Niece is a rousing opening number, and California Stars is ethereral and delicate, one of the most beautiful songs ever. Christ for President is really good, along with the raucous I Guess I Planted. Sadly, there will more than likely no more Mermaid Avenue albums, as Bragg and Tweedy weren't seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. Bragg is a political activist, and really wanted to concentrate strictly on Guthrie's political writings. Tweedy wanted to do more of the personal lyrics, and wanted to stay away from the political stuff. Regardless, this album is a masterpiece, and I'm glad that Nora Guthrie instigated this project, and gave it to two passionate, immensely talented people to interpret her late father's lyrics.

5 comments about Sandinista!.

1. I bought the original 3 LP version of Sandinista in late 1980 / early 1981, not long after it came out. I'd never heard anything by the Clash and had only the vaguest idea of what punk was all about, but I'd been reading about how great this group was supposed to be, so I thought I'd check this album out. After all, it barely cost more than a single LP, so I figured that, if nothing else, their hearts must be in the right place.
   
   To be perfectly honest, I didn't know what to make of this when I first listened to it. As I recall, my first reaction was, "This is punk???" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My expectations were turned upside down and inside out. I didn't know what to make of it, but I kept going back to it over and over and over. I can't say that I even liked it at first. It was more that I was fascinated by it, that I felt compelled to understand it. It was a mystery , a puzzle that I grew to love and appreciate over time as I unraveled it ... or was it unraveling me?
   
   Looking back, more than 25 years later, I can see just how critical this album was in breaking down so much of my prior conditioning as a listener and preparing me for the great variety of new sounds I'd soon encounter and enjoy. And I still pull this out every so often (I have the 2 CD version now, vinyl is long gone, buh bye) and I become immersed in it all over again. I know it's long and it rambles and goes astray here and there, but I love it just as it is.
   
   Having said that, I've had the feeling for a while now that, with some judicious edits, there was a killer double LP in here somewhere, at least as good and maybe even better than London Calling (which I also love, but it really begins to lose steam somewhere in that 3rd side of the original 2 LP set). So I sat down and hammered out what the 2 LP version of Sandinista would have looked like if I'd been in the producer's chair. I kept most of the original sequencing intact, with just four exceptions (Somebody Got Murdered, The Call Up, Washington Bullets, and Version City were all moved into earlier positions in the track sequence). Here's what I came up with:
   
   Side 1
   01 The Magnificent Seven
   02 Junco Partner
   03 The Leader
   04 Something About England
   05 Rebel Waltz
   06 Somebody Got Murdered
   
   Side 2
   07 Look Here
   08 The Crooked Beat
   09 The Call Up
   10 Washington Bullets
   11 One More Time
   12 One More Dub
   
   Side 3
   13 Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)
   14 Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)
   15 Corner Soul
   16 Let's Go Crazy
   17 If Music Could Talk
   18 Version City
   
   Side 4
   19 Police on My Back
   20 Midnight Log
   21 The Equaliser
   22 Charlie Don't Surf
   23 Junkie Slip
   24 Kingston Advice
   25 The Street Parade
   
   Deleted Tracks:
   Hitsville U.K. - never cared for it; the only track I can absolutely do without ever hearing again
   Ivan Meets G.I. Joe - amusing but sounds horribly dated now
   The Sound of Sinners - not bad as gospel goes, but I'm really not into that genre
   Broadway - I'm okay with this one but for me it's not essential
   Lose This Skin - I actually like this one a lot but again it felt optional to me
   Mensforth Hill - crazy backward track that I usually skip
   Living in Fame - dub, I like it, but also not essential
   Silicone on Sapphire - ditto
   Version Pardner - ditto
   Career Opportunities - kiddie rendition, somewhat amusing but hardly essential
   Shepherds Delight - not awful but it's never really made much of an impression on me either
   
   One of the things I like the best about the track list I put together is that it all ends with Street Parade, which has always sounded like the natural end of the album to me anyway.
   
   Somewhere along the way, I lost the kiddie version of "Guns of Brixton" which I actually like because it's short. I suppose I might throw that into my 2 LP sequence if I could figure out a good place for it.
   
   One of these days, maybe I'll burn my own custom killer edited version of Sandinista. Or maybe I won't. It's a great piece of work, even with its flaws and lapses, and it still continues to blow my mind, just as it always has.
   
   One last comment: the drumming on this thing! Good gawd! After all my years of listening, I've only recently begun to hear, really hear, Topper Headon's rhythm work. That guy could play ANYTHING and play it well. I think Topper has been sadly overlooked, not just as an essential contributor to the Clash, but as one of the finest rock/whatever drummers of his time.



2. The Clash's fourth album, Sandinista!, may be the most eclectic rock album ever recorded. While their previous release, London Calling, was a diverse collection, Sandinista! found the band pulling out all the stops musically. Also worth noting is that while there was a joyous atmosphere around many of the songs on London Calling, the mood is very somber for most of Sandinista! And while not every track works (a nearly impossible feat in a 36 song collection), most of the tunes are very good with a few being among their best.
   
   Disc 1 shows the band trying a little of everything whether it's rap ("The Magnificent Seven"), rockabilly ("The Leader"), disco ("Ivan Meets G.I. Joe"), funk ("Lightning Strikes"), Motown soul ("Hitsville U.K."), jazz (their cover of "Look Here"), ska ("If Music Could Talk") or gospel ("The Sound of Sinners"). However, the genres that emerge the most are new wave with "Somebody Got Murdered" and "Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)" and reggae with "The Crooked Beat", "Junco Partner", and "One More Time", which is also joined by a dub version appropriately titled "One More Dub." Of the two discs, Disc 1 is the stronger of the two with "The Magnificent Seven", "The Crooked Beat", "Somebody Got Murdered", and "Up in Heaven" being the best songs and "Let's Go Crazy" being the only subpar tune.
   
   Disc 2 continues the eclecticism with a heavier emphasis on reggae and dub. This time, the band cover hard rock on the opening "Police on My Back" and attempt psychedelia on "Mensforth Hill", which is "Something About England" played backwards. The latter may have worked for the Beatles on The White Album but here it's one of a few failed experiments on the disc. We get more rockabilly on "Midnight Log" and more new wave on "Charlie Don't Surf", and three gems in the anti-war track "The Call Up", the dance tune "Version City", and the ballad "Broadway." The reggae tunes are very good with "The Equaliser" and "Washington Bullets" being the best on the album. There are a few clunkers here like "Silicone on Sapphire", "Shepherd's Delight", and an ill advised cover of their own "Career Opportunities" but fortunately they're near the end of the disc. In closing, Sandinista! is by far the most challenging release of the Clash's catalog. However, several listens and a bit of patience reveal this to be a compelling album.



3. TURN THIS UP REAL LOUD, GET HIGH, LISTEN, TUNE IN...
   
   To those who say this is not a great album, and that you need to create your own cd from the 36 tracks: Go listen to the radio, this is not for you, this is for people who actually like the adventure and excitement of albums.
   
   I have never been a huge fan of the clash, more of a very casual part-time listener, never really hearing more than London Calling and bits and pieces of other albums. My girlfriend has been a fan of them for many years so she played me a few other albums, and while I enjoyed their music and thought of them as much more than just a punk band, I never really knew how great they were until I finally listened to this work of mastery. I can't believe how good this is.
   
   I think you really have to pay attention to this album to get it. You can't just put this on in the background and look for good singles or hardcore punk/rock blasts, this is a full album that needs to really be absorbed in full.
   
   This was not a f_ck you to the record label.
   This was not a treat for hardcore fans.
   This was not them scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to make this so long.
   
   This is one of the best albums ever made in the history of music, spanning almost every genre of music, bridging the past with what was going to come in the future, very big sound, amazing instrumental moments with great surprises and subtle changes that are mind-blowing. The thickness of this album will totally shock anybody who hasn't listened to it and likes bands like My Morning jacket, Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Olivia Tremor control or any other psychedelicesque music that has many, many layers of sound. The thing that really struck me the most was the layering of sound on Sandinista! I totally have to rethink of my perception of the Clash after this experience.
   
   I just hope more people listen to this properly.
   If you have ever listened to this and wished you liked it more, or if you have never even liked the Clash at all, get really stoned and put this in your stereo...enjoy.



4. This is the album that turned me onto music when I was a kid. Before that music was "nice" but not necessary. That aside, this is still my favourite album of all time and I can't believe I lived without it for almost a decade. Since being reunited with "Sandinista!" I have listened to it almost every single day. The best album by the best band ever.



5. I originally bought !Sandinista! as a 3 lp set when it was released. I was 15 at the time and being a huge Clash fan more than a little confused and disappointed. Like many people I believed that there was a great single album in the midst of all of the experimentation with different genres that the Clash were trying. Boy was I wrong.
   
   This isn't a brilliant album despite its sprawling, undisciplined ambition. It's a brilliant album because of its sprawling, undisciplined ambition. Trying to boil it down to one album would turn it into Combat Rock without the hits. Take it for what it is, and thank the god of your choice that the Clash didn't try to do it any other way.
   
   Rest in peace Joe. We miss you.

5 comments about Combat Rock.

1. While Combat Rock would give the Clash the band its greatest success, it is also the most inconsistent release that the original lineup recorded. Having said that, it's still a decent album. It is best known for their two most popular songs, "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go." These songs were all over the radio in 1982-1983 and you still hear them quite often. Those tunes are the heart of the album's first side where everything works. The excellent "Know Your Rights" finds the band recalling the focused anger of their debut while "Car Jamming" is just as strong both lyrically and musically with its tribal beat. "Red Angel Dragnet" is another great tune sung by bassist Paul Simonon and led by his funky bass line. "Straight to Hell" finds Joe Strummer perhaps at his most politically aware as he addresses racism, abandonment, and the possibility of an unrealized American dream over its reggae beat. From here, the album is very hit and miss with the best tunes being the jazzy and somber "Sean Flynn" and one of their best reggae tunes, "Ghetto Defendant". The track "Inoculated City" is also pretty catchy. The remaining tracks aren't up to par as "Overpowered by Funk" is too simple and too long while "Atom Tan" and "Death is a Star" just don't work with the latter sounding like an attempt to replicate the Specials' moodier work. All told, while Combat Rock is their least satisfying album, it's still worth hearing and this is the only place where you'll find the songs "Car Jamming" and "Sean Flynn".



2. I approach this album from a different perspective than some other reviewers. There are two great ponderous Joe Strummer numbers (Straight to Hell, Ghetto Defendant - featuring poetry from Allen Ginsberg) two instant hits, one by Mick Jones, the instantly catchy Should I Stay or Should I Go, and the darker, more powerful Joe Strummer number, Rock the Casbah (or as we used to sing in the 80s, 'fk the taskforce'). Car Jamming is another rockability number.
   
   'Know your rights' is full of attitude and anger. Songs like 'Overpowered by funk' are still solid, even if they show disco influence. The last song "Death is a Star" has an almost cabaret feel to it, and is fittingly the endpoint for a great band.
   
   This album was much criticised as being soulless. I think it is simply diverse. It has elements of Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, and some experimentation. This should have been the end point. Do not buy Cut the Crap but get a compilation which has 'This is England' on it.



3. This has flashes of Clash greatness, but it is nowhere near as great as, for instance, "London Calling" or as audacious as "Sandinista." Nonetheless, it is still a CD well worth listening to, as we see the Clash winding down as a creative force.
   
   Given comments by some reviewers, I am almost embarrassed to say that two songs really do stand out--a softer song, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" and the funky "Rock the Casbah." The first was a hit, and seems like a bookend for the wonderful "Train in Vain." The latter had an infectious beat and some amusing lines.
   
   Still, there are also other songs worth some note. "Overpowered by Funk" is an interesting change of pace; "Straight to Hell" is another good piece.
   
   This marked the decline of the Clash, as Mick Jones and Joe Strummer were going their separate ways, with differing visions of the direction the Clash should take. But it was not a bad album. No, it was not "London Calling," but very few CDs are at that level.



4. unfortunatley the entire B-side of this album was an unlistenable waste. The A side is good. In this digital age I suppose that means the first half of the CD is good. Songs like "Rock the Casbah" etc. "Death is a Star" and "Ghetto Defendant" are real boring. I kept at it though when I first got this album way back when, figuring that it just might take some time to grow on me like "London Calling" did. Too bad it never did. but hey! The Clash always strove to be different, and sometimes you're on, and sometimes you're not. The Clash were more often hit the target.



5. This album marked the downfall of the Clash. Topper was kicked out shortly after its release and Mick Jones left a year later leaving only Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer. Anyway there are only a handful of good songs here: "Know Your Rights", "Should I Stay or Should I Go", "Rock the Casbah", and even "Car Jamming" and "Red Angel Dragnet". The rest is bloody aweful. The only Clash album that's worse is Cut the Crap (notice the word "Crap").

5 comments about The Masterplan.

1. This collection shows why Oasis is the greatest group of the 90's. All of these songs were b-sides, yet they sound better than most band's singles. Some of their strongest material is on here: Acquiesce, Talk Tonight, Going Nowhere, Rockin' Chair, and The Masterplan.



2. What a great album. I took my time getting around to buy this one, especially after hearing that it was compiled primarily of all their previous B side ep tracks.
   
   Well it feels like any cohesive album to me, and I prefer this to Definately Maybe and Heathen Chemistry.
   
   What a great buy, many of these tracks could easily have been released as singles in their own right, making this quite a strong album and a great purchase. A must for anyone who likes Oasis!



3. This is truly a great Oasis collection of b-sides and live songs, and songs like Acquiesce, Underneath the Sky, and Talk Tonight cannot be overlooked. However, the very first review I saw by Sara O. Crane says that their first hit was Wonderwall and she enjoys the hit "Bittersweet Symphony." Does this anger any other Oasis fans? Did the greatest debut album ever, Definately Maybe, never come out before Wonderwall even existed? And babe, Bittersweet Symphony is by The Verve.
   On another note, I strongly recommend this album to Oasis fans, and if you're just getting into the band, I recommend Definately Maybe or (What's The Story) Morning Glory, because I don't think they've matched the greatness of those albums since they came out.



4. Wonderwall
   At best, this is only a partial collection, because it omits Oasis's best B-side, Round Are Way, the one used in the movie A Life Less Ordinary and only found in CD form on the Wonderwall single. This is a GLARING omission, and makes this CD much less than a value.



5. Hey folks... since usually those that write product reviews in the Music section of Amazon are typically pretty hardcore fans of the band in question, I'm putting this out there so that I might get an answer to a question I've had ever since recently getting pretty deep into the Oasis catalog myself. The ? is: With such an incredibly talented rock vocalist as Liam, why oh why does Noel Gallagher insist upon singing? First, though, let me clarify a point or two.
   
   The reason I'm getting into them so late in the game is that I spent most of the time during their 'heyday' not really listening to popular music at all, as I was in my own band in San Francisco. And as anyone knows who has ever committed himself to such an endeavor, the many things that go along with being the frontman for a rock band in a market as competitive as SF's was back then knows it takes up all of the time and energy that you have for outside interests. Anyway, when we finally broke-up after making a nice dent in the local scene but still couldn't get signed (it was the beginning of what I call "the fake music era" - of boy bands, teen/tween 'superstars' (yeah, right!) like Britney, Justin, etc. and ushered in (I'm afraid) nothing but tonedeaf pedophiles masquerading as record company A&R folks... Geez, can you tell I'm still a little bit bitter!)
   
   Anyway, before I heard Noel G. sing, my standard line about singers & songwriters used to be: "The best person to sing any song is the writer" as I believe that no one else has the ability to most effectively translate what the writer intended, emotion-wise, etc. But now I really think that either I was wrong all along, or else Oasis is the exception to that rule. It's not that I think Noel is technically that BAD of a vocalist, because he isn't; it's more that Liam is SO GOOD (!), and before I got deep into their stuff, I wasn't even aware that Liam hadn't written the tracks I had heard, either on the radio or wherever, before. And while I don't think Noel is the worst, he is incredibly uninteresting. He doesn't have pitch problems, but there's aspirit, an energy, something akin to the twinkle of an eye but referring instead to vocal delivery, that Noel completely lacks - Passion, that's what it is (just thot of it). So while I'm currently digging deep into THE MASTERPLAN, "Talk Tonight" is the only song sung by Noel that I can even listen to. And I can't skip that song even though it's N-S (Noel-Sung) because it's so freakin' excellent, I could probably listen to a Chipmunks cover version and still feel the passion in the song - it seeps from the lyrics like spilled honey. Still - would've been better, I bet, if Liam had sung it! And of course the same thing goes for the other Oasis albums I've been reviewing. It reminds me of Ann & Nancy of Heart - and Nancy Wilson is a WAY WAY better singer than Noel Gallagher. Still, everybody knows (Nancy included) that Ann is the one with the pipes... which is why you don't hear Nancy singing lead on tracks like Crazy On You or Barracuda. I guess the Wilson sisters get along better than the Gallagher brothers, but still, Noel is a musician and a songwriter to boot, and one would think that as such he'd want the best for his songs - and the best is clearly Liam. Anyway, I thought I'd go to a place where the superfans hang out, and maybe get an answer.
   
   Regarding THE MASTERPLAN - I agree with most of the reviewers that (B-side collection or not) it's one of the very best Oasis albums. Besides "Acquiesce" (which is probably the most beautiful song Noel's ever written), I also love "Underneath the Sky", "(It's Good) To Be Free", "Stay Young", "Headshrinker"... and (reluctantly) "Talk Tonight". They're all good, solid rock songs, but Noel's vox just falls flat for me - I wish he'd go back to things the way they were and let his talents do what they do best, and Liam do ALL the singing. It does make me wonder what Liam does when they play live and perform these N-S songs... I s'pose he just strums a guitar aimlessly. Seems like a case of MAJOR BIG EGO on the part of the elder bro... but what do I know? I couldn't even get MY band signed (hee-hee).

5 comments about Coldplay - Live 2003 (DVD & CD).

1. I love Coldplay.. and I love Coldplay even more live!! Chris' voice is absolutely perfect, and the rest of the group is amazing! This is a great addition to any Coldplay fan's collection.



2. I got the Coldplay 2003 DVD as a birthday present in '04. Coldplay's my favorite band, so you can imagine my excitement. Back in the days, I never thought I could ever be in a real concert of the band, I lived too far away from any place they toured.
   Almost four years later, I still think the DVD was the best concert in my life. That is, taking into consideration that I went to see them, against all odds, in NYC in 2006. It's not that the concert was bad, it was one of the best days in my life. It's that to me, the DVD is so good that I can't get enough of it.
   The band plays perfectly, the connection with the crowd is real, the choice of songs is fantastic, the sound is epic, the transitions that go along with songs, including colors, angles and views of the crowd and the band are nothing but exciting and bright.
   If there's any DVD I would ever recommend, it's this one. It's the closest you'll come to live the Coldplay experience if you haven't got the chance to live it already.



3. Not only is the music CD great, but the DVD packs quite the punch. The only tiny thing that bugged me was how the CD didn't have every song off of the DVD, but I guess that's what makes the DVD that much better. If you like Coldplay, but this DVD, you will not regret it. Best $20 musical purchase I've made in a long time.



4. This Video I thought could have been recorded in higher Quality
   Some of the songs were using such fast frames it makes your head spin, NOT enjoyable to watch.
   Not a total poor video but could of been better !! Such a Great Band
   Rich



5. The audio on this is outstanding. The documentary bonus is very boring. Basically band members moping about how stressful it is to be rich and famous and blabbering incoherently to bland Radio DJs about disparities in world trade. The concert video--despite the aforementioned great audio--is a quick edit mess of blurry shots that give me a headache.

5 comments about The Bends [Vinyl].

1. Nobody really actually enjoys listening to Radiohead. They just pretend to so that they appear to be hip or intelligent. I guess if a bunch of random noise put together to appear "deep" is your thing you should buy this album. If you have any taste stay far away. Thom Yorke is also the AntiChrist.



2. This album is the best Radiohead album I have heard. I definitely recommend it to those who are just getting into Radiohead. This is actually the first Radiohead album that I heard when my uncle played it on his CD player. At first I thought it was an ok CD but then it grew on me and I loved it. I bought it at Sam Goodie used and it was worth every penny. My most treasured album to this day. :) PLEASE BUY THIS USED or GET IT FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE ON AMAZON, IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE HERE. EMI IS CHARGING REDICULOUS PRICES FOR RADIOHEAD CDs. GREEDY CORPORATE BASTARDS.



3. EVERY SONGS GREAT...then i jammed to it on me open chord tuned guitar which works good enough. more on review later perhaps.



4. ... as we know them today.
   
   As a longtime Radiohead fan (one of my 3 favorite groups), I thought I'd finally start reviewing some of their albums. Looking at them comparatively with each other and as albums on their own right.
   
   I start with the Bends because this is the album that really made Radiohead who they are. Previous to this album, Radiohead was going to be a one-hit wonder. Thom Yorke didn't want that, so they put out what is probably one of the best albums of the 90's. Unlike later Radiohead albums, The Bends is a straight out rock/alternative album. There isn't anything terribly complex about it in terms of accessibility, although the song writing does show the greatness that has evolved over the years. I think the accessibility of this album is what really made Radiohead a popular band. It is also what is responsible for the loss of fans that followed with the release of albums like Kid A and Amnesiac later on down the road.
   
   Songs like The Bends, My Iron Lung, and Black Star are rockers not unlike Creep. High and Dry and Fake Plastic Trees are ballad like rock songs that were stereotypical of the genre. What made the Bends stand out though was the creativity in the lyrics, the symbolism that isn't always present in the stereotypical rock album. Add to that the musicianship that while not unlike the popular alternative and rock albums of the time, started to demonstrate the talents of the musicians, especially Johnny Greenwood (whom has only become better with time).
   
   The Bends really is a great album. It's a great album for the fan of the 90's alternative rock as it has almost a grunge like sound (although by a British band) that stretches beyond that sub-genre. It's a great album if you are a newer fan of Radiohead and you want to see where they came from. Again, it is probably Radiohead's most accessible album, so it is really an album that almost any fan of rock or alternative rock music would enjoy even if they are not a fan of the Radiohead of today.



5. I am guessing millions of more people will buy this album in the coming decades.The sound of this album explains just the basis of Radiohead's sound structure.What is amazing about Radiohead and often overlooked is how unyielding the sound truly is if you try to mimic it. I cannot think of one cover of any song on this album I'd give a second listen. It is just too difficult to gain inspiration from and procreate. Getting on now. Fake Plastic Trees. It is my favourite song by this band. I don't know how he does it. It is very difficult to sing when the song isn't playing and there is such "major key tonality" and a driven rock structure approach that the band and the vocalist assume that it truly owns the record. The Bends, title track, keeps your faith vested but isn't an instant classic. "High and Dry" is sometimes the "best thing to happen to you" My Iron Lung, you will love. "I wish I was" is the "how to disappear completely" of this record, excellent shower alone music. "Bones" makes me miss the 90's with a precussion.
   
   Disclaimer - I don't understand what they are singing about 100% of the time and I don't want to because the guitar obstructs any possity to reign on the bends.

5 comments about Airbag/How Am I Driving? [EP] [Limited Edition].

1. Seriously, Radiohead's b-sides make it perfectly clear how great a band they really are. Their b-sides are top notch, even compared to their own album tracks. So why not put together a three- or four-disc set of their b-sides, rare tracks, live recordings, etc? There is money to be made here, and God knows Catpitol has no compunction. I only hope it's done tastefully when they finally get around to it. In the meantine, Airbag, Com Lag, Pyramid Song, and the like are the only (legal) means of collecting these fantastic recordings, but it's far from complete. In any event, they are eminently listenable and enjoyable. "Metting in the Aisle" and "Palo Alto" and "Polyethylene" are fantastic songs all, "How I Made my Millions" is essential.... I can't in fact remember whether all of these songs are on this album, but it's worthy of your money regardless.



2. I love this album. A friend actually bought it and shared it with me. I absolutely love 'Polyethylene' both parts, it's the perfect song to turn up really loud and rock out to. 'Palo Alto' is awesome. And 'A Reminder' is just a great mello song. This album is fantastic and a must for any Radiohead lover.



3. There are definitely some rocking tracks on this EP, title song notwithstanding. Moreover, it serves as an excellent companion to OK computer, probably the equivalent of a DVD extra. B-sides are always a treat from Radiohead and are kind of collector's specialties. More experimental than the normal album format allows for, but worth investigating and for finding that one favorite gem that you can't find anywhere else. Palo Alto seems to be that track on this EP.



4. Any die-hard Radiohead fan should add this to the collection. Yes, they are songs that didn't make the cut for OK Computer, but hey, it's Radiohead and it's 7 bucks.
   
   Meeting in the Aisle is probably my favorite, even though it's all instrumental. Pearly is an interesting song and Thom's voice sounds awesome on it. I had to listen to A Reminder over and over because every time I listen to it I derive some new meaning from it. Polyethylene is pretty to listen to. Palo Alto is a just a classic b-side any Radiohead obsessive like me needs to have.
   
   The album art is also really interesting, complete with excerpts from Noam Chomsky. I do wonder why they billed this album as "aimed at the USA".



5. Before I discuss the merits of this CD, let me just say that I picked this up in the used CD bin at my local independent record store the other day. It makes me pine back to the day when bands released singles and EPs and made it exciting for music fans to look forward to releases....
   
   "Airbag/How Am I Driving" (7 tracks, 26 min.) is finally available again after its original 1998 release (after the "OK Computer" album release in 1997). It brings "Airbag", the brilliant opening track of the OK Computer album, followed by 6 non-album tracks. The quality of those tracks varies a little, but are generally quite satisfying. Highlights for me are the instrumental and brooding "Meeting In The Aisle", the pensive but dramatic "A Reminder", and best of all "Polyethelene (Parts 1 and 2)", really 2 songs into one (a short acoustic Thom Yorne tune, and then crashed by the full band), just great.
   
   "Airbag/How Am I Driving?" is one of three essential companion EPs for Radiohead fans, the other two being "My Iron Lung" (companion to "The Bends") and "Com Lag" (companion to "Hail to the Thief"), and any serious Radiohead fan will want this, period.

5 comments about Be Here Now.

1. I will never understand why oasis get's bashed by critics. Do they sound like the Beatles? Yes. Do they have over inflated egos? Yes. Are they one of the all time great bands? Yes. BE HERE NOW is nothing short of a masterpiece. Do not listen to critics, or to Noel(his ego will not let him say he likes this album.) Every song is great and will be remembered by us fans forever.



2. "Be Here Now" is Oasis's third studio album. Over the years, it has been criticized for sloppy recording and subpar lyrics. Overall, the criticism doesn't hold up, as there are many standout Oasis tracks on the album. The album has it's great moments, like My Big Mouth, Stand By Me, and Don't Go Away. On this album, Oasis relies less on beautiful melodies and more on a big sound characterized by many guitars, keyboards, and vocal overdubs. "Be Here Now" is their last great album, and is just as great as their first two albums.



3. Some reviews here state that this album initially had negative reviews. This couldn't be further from the truth. Oasis were all over MTV, Rolling Stone, etc. during the lead-up to their third album, and the initial reviews were of high praise. [...]And let's not forget that in their homeland, the album accounted for two-thirds of ALL music sold for the entire WEEK it came out. Simply put, very few people were listening to anything else.
   
   It seemed kind of cool at first to have an expanded album; 72 minutes of pure mayhem, starting out with D'You Know What I Mean? - Noel's anti-Wonderwall track which helped hype the album ahead of its release, and one of their best songs of all time. My Big Mouth continued with the wall of sound, while being concise in relation to the other tracks at about five minutes, and Fade In-Out - though too long, a problem with many tracks on the album - was a truly unique Oasis track. But after the initial buzz wore off, people realized that seven minutes of Magic Pie was a bit much. It's Gettin' Better (Man!!!) was a great four-minute song in the body of a seven-minute song; chorus after chorus, solo after solo, it just got worse as the album wound down. Unfortunately, Noel had relegated some of his best music as B-sides which would wind up in obscurity for casual fans - check out the All Around The World single to hear some of their best work from the period.
   
   Despite its flaws - obviously a cocaine album, and Noel admitted at the time he didn't take any creative chances ("it's pub rock", he said at the time) - this album still takes me back to a great time, eleven years later. This was the height of Brit-pop, and yet The Verve hadn't even released Urban Hymns yet. As the summer turned to fall of 1997, people began moving on to other bands and looking for the next best thing, as Brit-pop had overstayed its welcome with one too many near-breakups, cancelled tour dates, and hubris from these bands, let alone the tabloid drama.
   
   This isn't to say that great music wasn't made in Britain after 1997 - I still think this album holds up well against the other albums of its time. Be Here Now caught Oasis, and the music world, at a very particular place in time; the sound and the length of the album remain true to that. After Noel realized the drugs truly didn't work, it took a couple of albums for them to regain their footing, but after 2005's Don't Believe The Truth, a cleaned-up Oasis is ready to storm back with 2008's Dig Out Your Soul, which is receiving a lot of early praise.
   
   No matter what Oasis do next or sound like five years from now, this album will always be in my playlist due to the time capsule it has become for those of us who loved good rock music back in the heyday of Britpop.



4. Man I have to tell you people that you are way to harsh. This album is almost the best Oasis ever. If it wasn't for My Big Mouth and maybey I Hope I Think I Know. Other than that it is great. The song Magic Pie has to be my favorite Oasis song it is mesmorizing. The line, "those who don't say what they mean live and die by there own sword" is a great lyric. Listen to it good and well and you will love it. If you like rock of coarse.



5. Way, way back when this album first surfaced ('97?), I was an impressionable young adult, and made the mistake of believing what I read; in this case a Rolling Stone review.
   
   If I recall correctly, they basically said that Oasis has gotten too big for their britches, and this is what happens when a band has too much money and too much coke. I remember that part. I couldn't make it up.
   
   A month ago I bought the CD again. It's amazing. So many people hated and wanted to destroy Oasis. Sure, they were cocky as all get out, but they DELIVERED the goods.
   
   Hey, could AT&T be wrong? "All Around the World" is a brilliant telecommunications jingle. I also love many other songs on this album, basically all of them. I would even say I listen to it more than "What's the Story...". That's my two cents (or pence). I'll never believe Rolling Stone so naively again.

2 comments about Singles.

1. this is collections of the singles and the greatest hits given to us by the clash! 18 tracks and 2 bonus for a great pricefrom london calling to thi is radio clash a great compilation thats all i have to say!!



2. Personally, I have always found the Clash to be one of the greatest punk outfits to ever walk the earth. This collection proves it.