5 comments about From Here to Eternity: Live.

1. From Here to Eternity: Live
   If you like the Clash, this is a must have.



2. Pick this up right away if you're a fan. It's an archive release taken from four different years and three entirely different periods of the group's career that still has the coherency of old-school live albums that are devoted to the preservation of a single concert. See, no matter what phase they were at in their career, the Clash were vital and energetic and enthusiastic and just so alive. Everything on this album is taken at a slightly faster pace than on the original versions, and while these songs for the most part sound a lot like their counterparts, somehow tracks like "What's My Name", "Complete Control", "Know Your Rights", and "Capital Radio One" sound better live than in the studio. Hell, maybe "(White Man In) Hammersmith Palais" does. I'm not sure. I know that song is totally awesome, though. And so is "The Guns of Brixton", though I think this version is disappointing compared to the original. The hypercharged "London Calling" is slightly disappointing, too, but by no fault of its own. It's just that... well, have you heard the original? I think this version of "Train in Vain" is just bad, which is a shame because I love the original. It's too disco for me. Now, if they made it funk, I'd probably like it, because I love funk and hate disco. Oh, and speaking of funk, they play "The Magnificent Seven", but I'm not a fan of this version. I don't know why, either. I just don't. Despite those minor complaints, though, the sheer energy of this thing alone is enough to make it an essential purchase for any Clash fan, and besides, what's two weak songs out of seventeen? There are also a couple songs here that you can't get anywhere else, other than on Black Market Clash or Super Black Market Clash. I get the two confused. "City of the Dead" is a cool, hyper-energetic punk rocker, and "Armagideon Time" is a similarly excellent reggae song that sounds like it was a Sandinista! outtake. At least this arrangement does. Is that Mikey Dread (the reggae singer) on Sandinista! on vocals? He's got a sweeeet accent, whoever he is. Really fits the evil mood of the song. This thing is so cool I don't even know how to describe it...



3. The Clash were one of the greatest of the punk bands. Their music was raw, their lyrics often angry. This is a live album, with a twist that is somewhat problematic. This is not a single live performance, but bits and pieces of live performances from 1978 through 1982. There are 17 songs on this CD, most of which are well done indeed. Any such album will leave one wondering why some things were included and others not. But that is inherent in the process.
   
   The CD begins with "Complete Control" and ends with "Straight to Hell." Let's take a look at a sampling of songs.
   
   "Clash City Rockers" features raw guitar work and a strong rhythm section backing primal vocals. This is a compelling piece of work.
   
   Another fine work, "I Fought the Law." The key recurring refrain:
   
   "I fought the law
   And the law won."
   
   At another point:
   
   "I needed money and I had none.
   I fought the law and the law won."
   
   This is a classic outlaw song. Some overdubs occurred with this song back in the studio to correct technical deficiencies in the recording of the concern version.
   
   One of my favorite Clash tunes is "London Calling," with its familiar and dramatic opening chords. This is a political song, including railing against "phony Beatlemania." A typical line:
   
   "London calling to faraway towns
   Now that war is declared--and battle come down."
   
   Something very different in "Train in Vain."
   
   "Say you'll stand by your man. . .
   Stand by me."
   
   A more sentimental song (albeit hard rocking), very unlike "London Calling" or "Guns of Brixton."
   
   Then, the chilling "Guns of Brixton." A hard-edged song, with raw vocals and instrumental work. Telling lines:
   
   "When the law breaks in,
   How you gonna go?
   Shot down on the pavement
   Or waiting in death row."
   
   This song typifies the hard-edged punk of The Clash against established authority.
   
   Finally, a more personal (but still rocking) song, "Should I Stay or Should I Go." Another intimate relationship song.
   
   "Should I stay or should I go?
   Tell me now
   Should I stay or should I go."
   
   Despite the many rough, political songs, here the work is about staying with your partner until the end of time (if the answer to "Should I stay" is yes) or be set free (if the answer is no). The music is typically Clash raw.
   
   So, the rawness of these live performances is terrific (despite the weird premise of different performances from different times). The sound is more primal than on the albums (where the sound is pretty raw itself). This is a must listen for fans of this group.



4. I bought this after I had read the biography of Joe Strummer called redemption song. A great selection of songs, and you feel the experience the bands incredible stage presence. I wish I had bought it sooner. Enjoy.



5. Now really. Who ever heard of a live album that was a sampling over shows from many years? One can only suspect The Clash for having a personal hand in FHTE. If so, bless their hearts for trying something different, but it doesn't really work. A lot of the energy of a single show is lost in the potpourri format of this album. The Clash were hands down the best band I saw live---and I'm not the only one to think this. Surely, Sony can find time in their schedule to publish from a single show or tour, something to show everyone what The Clash were really like, something up there with The Who's "Live at Leeds." On the other hand, until _that_ album comes out, FHTE is better than nothing and I for one was glad to buy it. The three songs from the Bond shows, especially Complete Control, are worth the price all by themselves.

5 comments about Without You I'm Nothing.

1. "Pure Morning" is one of XM 43's better songs. Everything else here is only somewhat worse. All in all, they show a lot of promise in every area. Realisticly, they've got to improve to make a go of it.



2. I am very happy to have bought this cd. Every song is amazing and they are songs that you can play over and over and over. I have to say that when I first heard of these guys I was kind of hesitant to listen to them because I thought that they would be another rock band but there is something different about them. They have a different style and his voice is amazing.



3. We've all heard the question asked on MTV or in printed form in music magazines... "What album changed your life?"
   
   Well in my case, seeing as how I'm now middle aged, this has actually happened to me twice. When I was 16 the self titled "Boston" debut changed my taste in music forever. Or so I thought.
   
   As the years rolled by I found myself living in a small redneck town in Florida and listening to country music, which I still enjoy. The grunge movement at the time had finished off rock music for me and I slipped comfortably into middle age.
   
   Then, through unforeseen circumstances, I found myself living in Manchester England at the age of 38 with a much younger girlfriend. One night, she played a song on her CD player which completely blew me out of the musical funk I'd been living in for the previous six years. I rushed over to the CD player and turned the volume up high and got lost in the most haunting song I'd ever heard in my life. That song, of course, was "Pure Morning" by Placebo and in that instant, my life was changed again.
   
   It was my introduction to "Brit Pop," a musical form I never even knew existed, and began a long affair with this type of music that continues to this day. It also opened my eyes anew to the Rock music which I had abandoned and even made me look at grunge with new eyes of respect.
   
   So today, at the age of 47, you may just as easily find me hanging at a Collective Soul, Offspring, Blink 182, Avril Lavigne, Placebo, Muse, Garbage, Oasis or Radiohead show as you would find me at any number of classic rock shows or even country hoe-downs.
   
   All because of this song and this band and this album. This was just the beginning. I own every Placebo album there is but this was the one that broke it open for me and forever will remain part of my life.
   
   This review probably won't be helpful to the young ones out there but if you find yourself in the same situation as me you should seriously listen to this band.
   
   Absolutely recommended for purchase ... even if you're not middle aged. ;)



4. I think I just love Placebo. You have to love his voice to buy any of their cd's. Anyone who likes Placebo's "controversial" lyrics, should look up some of their interviews. Very interesting people.



5. This is my favorite Placebo album to date. I have all of their albums, including Meds, but I am still pulled toward this one. Probably because it's more melancholy and still not too poppy.

5 comments about Gladiator: More Music From The Motion Picture.

1. One of those pivotal soundtracks. Unfortunately, there is dialogue over a few of the tracks, but it is well worth sitting or fast-forwarding through. There is a duduk (the sound used for that thing Mr. Tumnus plays in 'Narnia'), and I have fallen in love with it. There is the use of a female voice (Lisa Gerrard) wailing in another language, which had become something of a trend ('Troy', 'Munich', 'Narnia' again, and many others). "Now We Are Free" is the kind of song that first intrigues you, then entraps you, and then takes you on an emotional ride. The soundtrack is intensely bittersweet, exciting ("The Gladiator Waltz"--yes, you're supposed to giggle--Hans did!), and just very consumable. If you were impressed by movie--and I haven't run into anybody yet who wasn't--then consider this soundtrack an equivalent of that experience, but audio.



2. I HAVE TO SAY HANS ZIMMER IS THE GREATEST OF HIS ERA. I HAVE PURCHASED ALMOST ALL OF HIS MAJOR SCORES FROM RAIN MAN, CRIMSON TIDE, GLADIATOR, AND EVEN THE LATEST BATMAN AND I KNOW I HAVE PLENTY OF MORE THAT COULD BE LISTED. I FIRST WAS WEIRY ABOUT BUYING THE SECOND SCORE TO GLADIATOR THINKING IT WOULD BE JUST LIKE THE FIRST ONE. IT IS AWESOME AND JUST AS GOOD OR BETTER, IF YOU ARE A TRUE ZIMMER FAN YOU HAVE TO ADD THIS TO YOUR COLLECTION. I HOPE HE KEEPS MAKING MUSIC FOR YEARS TO COME.



3. Gladiator may be the best middle eastern score ever written. The Duduk was incredible!
   
   The first CD was amazing as well, however, I believe this disc to have a few advantages.
   
   First of all, "The Gladiator Waltz." This song TOTALLY improves upon "The Battle" from disc 1. The original stopped way before the new track. The synth sounds are very good, and don't take away from the beauty at all!
   
   Another highlight is "Homecoming" this is a sad, angry song that will have your blood pumping. If you've seen the movie, you remember the scene where Maximus escapes execution, and rides home like a mad man, only to find his wife and son Crucified. A truly angry and intense song.
   
   "Secrets" is a sneaky evil track, portraying the violent insanity of Commodus.
   
   I have mentioned the highlights, but all the rest are great too! A must have CD, even if you own the first!



4. This is just what the title says: more great(beautiful) music from the motion picture, including some "spiced-up" remixes. This album also features sound clips from the movie. Listening to it will make you think you're in Rome again.



5. The original score for Gladiator was a grand triumph for composer Hans Zimmer. Unfortunatly, this cd follows a trend during the latter half of the 1990's. When you have a successful score cd, follow it up with a cd full of dialogue, demo tracks and occassional new music. That is what this cd is full off. I expected more of the great music from the movie, instead I was disappointed bitterly.

5 comments about The Man Who.

1. There are two major versions of the CD, one includes three bonus tracks total- "Blue Flashing Light," "20," and "Only Molly Knows." The other one includes just "Blue Flashing Light." I think "Blue Flashing Light" is meant to be a hidden track on all versions of the CD. It is not clear which CDs have the extra two and which ones do not. It's best for a seller to list the actual tracks on the CD in this case.



2. This was a band that I knew nothing about until they were going to be at a festiful that I was going to in 2005. After hearing their music I am so mad that I didn't know about them sooner. They are amazing and I like everyone of their songs. They are one of my favorite bands. I am so happy that I found out about them and hope they never stop making amazing music!



3. I discovered Travis about 4 years back with their then latest album The Invisible Band.The album quickly became a favourite with its intensely personal songs.
   This earlier album is equally wonderful.Travis lead singer Fran Healy once said they prefer to remain "invisible" and let the music speak for themselves.Well this album speaks voulumes of their talent.The quiet anguish of Fran's voice perfectly fits the sombre tone of the songs each of which is a gem.
   The album can get quickly addictive and you might find yourself listening to it all the time !!
   Highly recommended.



4. This is a group whom I never hear anyone talk about. I love there music & this one is there best album. Coldplay sounding.



5. a powerfully addictive album that showcases the skills of a band that seems to combine some of the best qualities of Radiohead and Dave Matthews - while leaving out the bad behaviors and formulaic leanings of an Oasis.
   
   Scotland produced a fine band, indeed.

5 comments about Diamond Hoo Ha.

1. I am a long time Supergrass fan and have all their albums, etc. The first five songs are great, though the lyrics weaker than usual (they're terrible in other words). After that, its a little more dicey. My favorite cuts are 345, Rebel in you and Butterfly. Its hard to pin point why I don't like this album as much as the others. Maybe its the production gloss? I mean Diamond Hoo Ha Man is a good rocker, but the guitars are too compressed, kind of like the Foo Fighters or something. Maybe its the songwriting - even my favorite songs still need more. Oh well, I'm still listening to it periodically after having bought it last spring. That's the ultimate test.



2. I have been a fan of Supergrass since "I Should Coco" came out. Since then, they have put out some so-so releases (the self titled "Supergrass" and "Road to Rouen" come to mind) but they have never put out a bad album in my opinion. "Diamond Hoo Ha" is going back to their fun Brit-Pop beginnings, I love this album!



3. If you are actually taking time to read this you probably like Supergrass anyway. But for what it's worth here's my two cents. I don't understand why these guys aren't bigger. I mean damn whats a band got to do? This album got lukewarm reviews but don't believe them. This album starts out great and gets better with each listen. This album is like a burst of seratonin. Check out the crazy sax break in 'Whiskey and Green Tea and you'll know what I mean. Plus these guys have soul. Not many white rock bands have soul anymore but if you like soul music like Curtis Mayfield or Major Lance then listen to 'Rebel in You' and tell me these guys don't have soul.



4. I recieved "Diamond Hoo Ha" with much anticipation after the successful "Life on Other Planets" and their best album yet "Road to Rouen", but unfortunately to my ears sems a bit of a disappointment, just a collection of unexceptional, rather average songs apart from "When I Needed You", also "345" is a good song, I like the speeded - up "Clapton" guitar effect but overall the album isn't bad, maybe average, it just lacks the progression, immediacy and novelty of their previous LP.



5. I have been a huge Supergrass fan for many years, own all their CD's, their DVD and have seen them in concert. So, I eagerly awaited their newest CD. I have listened to it several times and can honestly say it's a disappointment. It's got a harder edge than the Road to Rouen CD, but lyrically it is lame and immature for a band that has really impressed me lyrically over the years. Very little in the area of catchy melodies. I can remember when I could have a Supergrass song playing in my head for days on end. I could listen to their disks multiple times per day. But this CD is largely forgettable; I expected much more from these guys as I have considered them outstanding songwriters, musicians and performers. This sounds like they stayed up late one night and slapped the whole thing together in a hurry. I still consider myself a fan of the band, but if this is the best they can come up with then Supergrass may want to consider calling it a day.

5 comments about Oasis - Familiar to Millions: Live At Wembley.

1. Let's make it short... this is the best CD/DVD that I've ever had.... The Greatest Oasis Hits alive!!! You don't want to miss it AT ALL.



2. Got this after I saw them in AC at the house of blues in oct 05. This DVD is awesome!!! I had given Oasis a rest for about a year or two and missed this when it came out. But i listened to this and i got right back on the train, chug a lug! Wooo wooo! OASIS FOOOOKIN BRILLIANT MATE! Gas Panic!, Go Let it Out, classic bangers, talking smack on wembley, whos andy bell...



3. The song choices were poor - "There and Then" was SIGNIFICANTLY better. And the audio on this DVD was very bad and muddy, probably because it is offered as "5.0," whatever that is supposed to mean.



4. Now, maybe I'm a bit biased since Oasis is my favorite band ever, but I really am glad I bought this DVD. The image quality is quite good, and it's fun to have the bits of in-between-song banter that are cut from the CD. As far as the bonus features go, they're a bit minimal-- and to be honest, the crowd shots are a little silly at times -- but the interview portion is a good bonus, especially with Noel talking about his thoughts on the albums they'd released at that point. I don't think you have to be a super-fan to enjoy this.



5. A really nice gig and a nice DVD presentation. It was a good show and the crowd was just awesome. The documentaries included are nice, really do a good job of making you feel like you actually attended the show. The last part of the show is Oasis at their best, compared to any other DVD or live show out there. At the beggining it drags a little: 'Who Feels love' and "gas Panic" are not great songs to play live and can get a little boring. Other than that , I wish the interview included captions, I cant understand a word they are saying!

5 comments about The Clash (U.S. Version).

1. People who are after a one album purchase will prefer the US version. It includes a number of other hits that were circulating around that time and leaves off some of the weaker numbers off the UK album. I'm sure purists or completists will not agree with me on this point. To me, this album is punk (along with London Calling). This album belongs in an era which will never, can never come again. It is a product of its time but has aged extremely well.
   
   The songs which are on this version but not on the UK version are all strong, and were either singles, B-sides, or rerecorded later - Clash City Rockers, Complete Control, White Man in Hammersmith Palais, Jail Guitar Doors, and the cover of "I fought the Law". Completists will get the UK version and the singles collections, but for someone who wants a really strong songlist - this is the one to get.
   
   Joe Strummer's voice pulses with feeling. The lead guitar breaks are all short and choppy like an optimistic birdsong of hope in a new nihilistic world. The drums pedal along like soft hoofbeats of a galloping horse. As the song "Garageland" says - a response to critics who said they were a garage band that should be returned to the garage, preferrably with the car still running(!) well we all know who was right in the end!



2. And yes, that does mean that I still take Never Mind The Bollocks over The Clash debut, yet it is close. However, what is not close is the difference in quality between the U.S. version of this album and the U.K. version (even if I do love "Janie Jones" opening the album, just like High Fidelity's Rob Gordon). The reason there is no competition between the two versions is simple, "Complete Control". The greatest song from The Clash and also the greatest punk anthem ever, and I do mean ever. That one song kicks "God Save The Queen", "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Los Angeles", and "Ever Fallen In Love" all to the curb, and it is The Clash's greatest moment despite the brilliance of "London Calling".
   
   If that song weren't enough, quite a few of the weak numbers from the U.K. version are gone, and instead you get "Clash City Rockers" in addition to "Complete Control", and even "WHITE MAN In HAMMERSMITH PALAIS"! While the U.K. version may have a few good numbers in "Janie Jones", "Hate And War", "I'm So Bored With The USA", and "White Riot" (Probably their second best song in my opinion), the U.S. version has all those songs plus the three I just mentioned, PLUS The Clash's version of "I Fought The Law". The choice is incredibly easy, get this album now and it is more than enough of an antidote for the horrible music of today, this is the kind of music that can change your life. Not to mention it rocks like a steamroller.



3. The Clash were among the topmost important punk groups, having the power and the passion in spades, and a sincerely egalitarian ethos in the lyrics of Joe Strummer, who perhaps even more than John Lydon embodied the spirit of 1977. Their first album snarled into the shops in April 1977 in the UK and Canada, but was not available in America for over two years except on import, and was then released in a revised format, five tracks being replaced by various singles.
   
   Out went White Riot (the later single version was substituted, replete with police siren, smashing glass and alarm effects), Deny, Cheat, Protex Blue and 48 Hours. In their place were added the singles Clash City Rockers (1977), Complete Control (co-produced with mad reggae genius Lee Perry)(1977), (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais (1978), I Fought The Law (1979) and Jail Guitar Doors (the B-side of Clash City Rockers), making it almost ten minutes longer than the original album. The tracking order was also completely re-sequenced.
   
   I Fought The Law, an old Crickets number that the Clash had learned from the Bobby Fuller Four hit version found on a San Francisco jukebox, had just been released as the band's first US single, with (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais on the other side. If you own the 3CD Clash overview The Clash on Broadway then you already own the four missing songs. Joe Strummer actually approved of the revised album, telling a music journalist some years later, "It makes a good collection. If you've never heard the group before, it's a good bunch of tunes."
   
   The original album [The Clash] was produced by their regular sound man Mickey Foote and engineered by Simon Humphrey at CBS Studio 3 in Whitfield Street, London over three weekends during February 1977. The regular Clash line-up of Joe Strummer (vocal, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, vocal) and Paul Simonon (bass guitar) was augmented by Terry Chimes, yet to become a full-time member at the time of recording, on drums. He had left the band by the time of Clash City Rockers and Nicky 'Topper' Headon plays on all the added US tracks apart from White Riot. The single White Riot (and its B-side, 1977) had been recorded at Whitfield Street on 28 January 1977.
   
   There are some classic Clash songs that were to remain in their repertoire throughout, and that stand up today. Indeed live versions of London's Burning, What's My Name and Career opportunities appear on the album From Here to Eternity: Live, recorded between 1978 and 1982. It also has live versions of added songs Complete Control, Clash City Rockers, (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais, Capital Radio and I Fought The Law.
   
   The original album's one cover version, added at the end of the sessions as a make-weight, was their tribute to Lee Perry, the Junior Murvin single Police And Thieves, to which they bring their own inimitable style very successfully. It led to the Lee Perry-produced single and to Bob Marley subsequently name-checking them on Punky Reggae Party. Other Clash favourites included Remote Control (later extracted as the second UK single), Janie Jones, I'm So Bored With The USA, Garageland, and, of course, White Riot.
   
   The version of White Riot heard on the UK version of The Clash is not the version released as their first UK single and is the sole track on the album not to have been recorded at Whitfield Street. Inspired by the Notting Hill Riots of 1976, it had been in their repertoire since September 1976, usually played considerably faster than either of the recorded versions, and had been demoed for Polydor in November before they signed with CBS. The LP version predates the single and was recorded in Beaconsfield at the National Film and Television School using some freebie time they'd wangled via Julian Temple in January 1977, with Mickey Foote making his debut in the producer's chair. The US album and all future compilations seem to have preferred the single version of White Riot, so it appears the Beaconsfield version is only to be found on the original The Clash album.
   
   Early copies of the US album came with a free single containing Groovy Times and Gates Of The West. Along with I Fought The Law and a new recording of Capital Radio, these had comprised the UK release in May 1979 of The Cost Of Living EP. It would have been a nice touch if the three tracks not on the US album had been added as bonus tracks, but all three can be found on Super Black Market Clash, and the freebie single is on The Clash on Broadway.
   
   The UK and US versions serve slightly different purposes, the US version being a useful collection of tunes whilst the UK version is the authentic original album, a snapshot statement of the band conceived at a crucial moment in their history. Take your pick.



4. If I was a teacher of a class in which it was fitting to play music for my students and show off what the categorical style of rock n' roll is supposed to be like, I would play the original version of I fought the Law and I would say, 'this is good, this is good.' Then I would pull out this cd and I would play the Clash's version and I would say, 'this is great, this is great!' Hopefully, the students would catch on and would then go off and digest the differences.
   
   I wonder how many of the students would come back the next day with much feedback. I would hope so.
   This music is creatively ensembled with a lot of heart and smartness. It may be a tad bit lenghty, like maybe there should be 14 1/2 songs instead of 15, but outside of that, I guess you could say it's nearing rock n' roll completion. I am not a really big fan of reggae but I'm not against it either, and White Man ... is such a great rock tune (which is overtoned to the gills with great reggae).
   
   Career Opportunities is like an idol of insight to my poor mortal career-laden body, and it's radically desirable to the ears.
   
   I would fetch this album out of a burning house.



5. Though I have a hard time saying for shure, this is probably my favorite Clash album. Its passion for the raw hardcore punk style has always been entertaining. Even though the Pistols style was slightly more hardcore it misses the intelegence and creativity of this album. This set the standard for many punk bands to follow, a true Punk Rock gem. Rest in peace Joe Strummer.Though its impossible to know for certain in this case, I really hope he made it.

3 comments about Billboard Top 10 Karaoke, Vol. 1.

1. This CD does live up to it reviews. It is an excellent compilation of the decades passed. i love it. A must have for any karaoke r.



2. The music is not the original artists but is music "made famous by the original artist" and is only evident once you read the fine print. It seems a bit dishonest to use the Billboard Top 10 as a selling vehicle. I rated the item a 4 because the music is ok and after all it is Karaoke. Worst of all is the price--I found these at Walmart for $30.



3. The songs are fine, but there is no way to tell how close you are to the next lyric when in between verses. Unless you know the songs it can be tough to track. Many other competitors have ...s or something to signal how close you are to the next verse.

5 comments about Treasure.

1. I drift into connecting with this material sporadically. I know it is a highly regarded album from an influential dream-rock pioneer, though most of these calibrated confections in retrospect feel too contrived to offer anything but esoteric mood music in the moment- rarely does the swirling moon-drenched beauty aesthetic of it all transform into anything more then the hammered idea. Although a fairly solid release, demonstrating other-worldly vocals and instrumentation with an array of pros and cons in the production department, they have done more engaging, if less blatantly whimsical work.



2. The clarity and balance in this remaster is worth replacing your old copy. I was not sure after reading other reviews, but rest assured you will have a new reason to play these albums over and over.



3. Cocteau Twins are one of my top five favorite bands of all time and this is an album (released in 1984) that has slowly gained my appreciation through the years. I've always loved the album but just recently when I happened to think about it, subconsciously, the melody from the fifth track on _Treasure_, "Pandora" played in my head and I had to admit what a great song that is. I just listened to this album the other day and "Pandora" is quickly becoming one of my favorite CT songs.
   
   There are several other great songs on here: the dark and violent "Persephone", (one of the most percussive Cocteau Twins songs), "Lorelei" with its bright bounce, the hopeful but cautious mood of "Aloysius", the surreal and eerie peacefulness of "Otterley" which leads into the stunning, anthemic closer "Donimo". The Twins have a history of excellent songs to close out albums and this one is no exception.
   
   Elizabeth Fraser's vocals are perfectly mixed and "Treasure" features some of the best use of dubbed backing vocals of any Twins album.
   
   This album was quite influential to bands in the 80's and 90's making dream pop, shoegaze or even goth music.
   I call this the Twins' breakthrough masterpiece and it's not even my favorite album of theirs. (I prefer "Blue Bell Knoll" and then "Victorialand".) That just shows how much great music Cocteau Twins put out while they were active.



4. If you could only have one album by Cocteau Twins (really, you should get them all), this is the one I would put forth not only as a primer to their music, but as the defining moment of the genre known as "dreampop." "Treasure" is the bridge between the Cocteau Twins' earlier, darker sound and their later, increasingly ethereal and melodic output. Guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Simon Raymonde lay down dense walls of echoey dreamscape, through which floats, and sometimes stabs, the very unique and immensely powerful voice of Elizabeth Fraser. If you are not thoroughly mesmerized by the end of the second track, "Lorelei," then there is just something wrong with you.
   
   Many other bands have been labeled as "dreampop," but no band has ever managed to sound as hauntingly beautiful and original as Cocteau Twins. That Fraser in particular has never been properly acclaimed is a crime.



5. I am a relatively new fan of Cocteau Twins. It wasn't until a few years ago when the band started to remaster and re-release its albums did I get around to checking out their music. "Treasure" was the first Cocteau Twins album I bought. I was immediately hooked on the album's intoxicating ethereal melodies and fragile female vocals of Elizabeth Fraser. There definitely is a post punk edge through out the album that is reminiscent of Siouxsie & The Banshees like on "Persephone". The jagged guitar riffs and Elizabeth's wailing sounded an awfully a lot like Siouxsie & The Banshees and I mean that as a compliment. One of my personal favorite songs is the wistful sounds of "Pandora for Cindy". The song is so light and airy. If clouds could emit a sound or make music, I think this is how they would sound like. My very favorite track on the album has to be "Donimo" based on the gorgeous melodies. Elizbeth Fraser has one of the most original vocals I have ever heard. I like that she uses her vocals as an actual instrument. It really shows through on this album especially on the tracks that are more about vocalizations than lyrics. There is not one single track on "Treasure" I did not like. Every song is great. I feel like I am being transported to another dimension when I listen to this gem of an album. "Treasure" is truly a treasure worth owning.

5 comments about Hounds of Love.

1. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/REQHJ1F3EMSBT My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!



2. In 1985 I bought the record and wore it out, literally! Then I bought the cassette and played it till it broke about a year ago. Bought the CD and still listening to it to this day. No one else, other than the Beatles, would cause me to do this. Kate Bush was awesome then and still is today. Do yourself a favor and run, do not walk, to get this CD. While you're there pick up Kate's "The Kick Inside" and listen to two Kate's! Both awesome in different ways.



3. MOST ALBUMS THAT ARE POPULAR ARE OVERRATTED TO SOME DEGREE,AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM...IVE SPENT ALOT OF TIME TRYING TO GET WHAT EVERYONE ELSE GETS ABOUT THIS ALBUM AND THE REALITY IS,ITS NOT THAT GREAT!....BASICALLY MADE FOR {IN MY OPINION PETER GABRIEL FANS OR TALKING HEAD FANS}...KATE TRIES REALLY HARD TO EXERCISE SOME PRODUCTION SKILLS AND VERSATILITY ON THIS ALBUM BUT TO ME ITS SPREAD A BIT THIN!......POPULARITY ON THIS ALBUM PROBABLY DRIVEN BY VIDEOS OR THE FACT THAT SHE'S A WOMEN DOING SOMETHING SO CALLED ARTSY HAS BRAINWASHED MANY INTO THINKING THIS IS SOMETHING SPECIAL AND IT ISNT...THE REALITY IS THESE SONGS ARENT THAT CLASSIC...THERE OLD SOUNDING,CHEESY,AND TO ME A BIT CHEAP...KATE LACKS A BIG HEART BUT HAS A BIG EGO AND THE RESULTS SHOW IT....AN E FOR EFFORT MAYBE BUT A C SUBSTANCE....SO THINK FOR YOUR SELF....DONT LISTEN TO WHAT "THEY" SAY...EVERYTHING IS NOT A FIVE STAR OR A 1 STAR ALBUM.....LISTEN TO THE SONGS NOT THE HYPE AND YOULL FIND THIS ALBUM IS JUST PRETTY GOOD!!



4. First listened to this album when it released in 1985, still listening to it today.



5. I bought this in 1986, having heard Bill Humphries sing the praises of Kate Bush for months. It was the Spring-Summer of my triumphant return to UT Austin (before the inevitable Second Fall from Grace that was to occur a couple of years later), and while I had listened to this album quite a bit during my commute back and forth to classes that Spring, it cemented its hold in my heart during Winedale summer, as I prepared for the Shakespeare course that Mike Godwin had instructed me to enroll in during the Spring, then followed up for an intensive Summer section. Listening to it now reminds me of that summer, especially the first song, "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" and the entire "Ninth Wave" second half, in that I had indeed made a deal with God that I would try and turn my school life around and I was immersed, not so much in water, but in the creativity and spirit of Winedale. The album is somewhat bittersweet, and so was that summer, for while I indeed did well that year, it was a rough period, made more so by the ties I had been making with my girlfriend of the time (who would eventually become my wife, uhm, ten years later).
   
   I had been primed to fall for the Divine Miss Bush for years, having spent my high school years listening to a progression of pop music (Elton John and Fleetwood Mac) to "hard rock" (Styx and Journey) to "art rock" (Genesis, Rush and Yes). The next step along that road was to experimental rock, and Laurie Anderson had been my introduction and Kate Bush became my guide in the form. At the time, since I hadn't heard much of Bush's previous work, I simply saw her as a companion to Peter Gabriel (she had, after all, performed a duet with him on his recent album, So, as had Anderson), who also went into the studio to drench her songs in layers and layers of production. The strangeness of some of "The Ninth Wave" washed over me, and it wasn't until years later that I actually took notice of how many things were actually going on in those songs. Now that I look at this album and compare it to her previous work, I see how some had rightly accused Bush of "selling out" to pop music, much like they had accused Gabriel of the same (my favorite memory of which is my friend Karl Rehn's rewrite of the chorus of "Sledgehammer" as "I want to be / Phil Collins"). Hounds of Love is defiantly pop, but this is pop with an edge.
   
   Take, for example, the opening song, whose title was changed because her record company feared that "A Deal with God" would raise fundamentalist hackles in the States and Italy. Its insistent drum beat over the atmospheric synths belie the lyrics, which have nothing whatsover to do with the diety, but instead describe the love/hate symbiosis in most relationships. The titular deal is the narrator's urgent desire to be able to switch places, so as to better understand each other. (Of course, in all modesty, you could also read the lyrics as the narrator wanting to swap places with her lover so they could experience orgasm from each other's point of view. I'm just saying, and those moans in the background bear me out on this, I think.)
   
   "It's in the trees! It's coming!" What? This is a pop record? What was that? That was the beginning to the second song, "Hounds of Love," that's even more over the top in its attempt to describe how much it feels to be the object of someone's affection, or perhaps the narrator's fear of being in love itself. As she runs from those hounds, she's unsure if she wants to be in love or to be pursued by love or to give in to her own feelings. I was 20, and in the throes of my first love affair, and I knew how she felt to be hounded by love.
   
   "The Big Sky" changes the mood to be a little more light-hearted, almost childish, as the narrator rolls in the grass and focuses her attention on the shapes that she can see in the clouds. What I like most about this song is the vocal nonsense sounds in the background that are almost like Philip Glass in their repetition. Each of these first three songs are "big music," in the phraseology of Mike Scott of the Waterboys: they fill the room/car/arena with their sounds, so much so that the louder you play the song the more you hear going on.
   
   But, as celebratory as the last song was, Bush quickly turns to a darker subject, and one of my favorite songs she has ever done, "Mother Stands for Comfort." Unlike the ambiguous nature of the first couple of songs, it's not hard to follow the lyrics on this one: from the breaking glass at the beginning, to the industrial background sounds, this is a song about a broken person, who adores his mother who "knows that I've been doing something wrong / But she won't say anything." In the chorus, the narrator even calls himself a madman. This is a sincerely creepy song, in which the music both supports its eerie theme as well as coats it over in slinkiness.
   
   From one child to another, "Cloudbusting" is told from the point-of-view of Peter Reich, the young son of Wilhelm Reich. Drawn directly from Peter's book about his experience, it tells the story of when the government agents came for his father, interspersed with a child's love for his father and the dreams his father had instilled in him. It's an effective piece in that it makes you want to know more about Reich and his beliefs about Organon.
   
   Thus ends side one on the album (for this was when artists still thought of Side A and Side B to match the order of songs on a piece of vinyl). Side B has an overall title of "The Ninth Wave," and describes a shipwreck survivor lost at sea, struggling to keep his or her head above the water. The opening song, "And Dream of Sleep," sets up this situation, and also manages to prefigure some of the experimental sections that follow in its small snippets of sound that merge into a collage all the while Bush sings sweetly about being seduced by sleep, which she cannot fall into lest she drop into the deep water and drown. The next section, "Under Ice," is chilling (pun intended), for the water the protagonist is in is cold, and the very real danger that she faces is underpinned by the minor key and urgent violin part. "Waking the Witch" puts the sound collage in the foreground, like a view into the protagonist's mind, a jumble of phrases and voices that abruptly seques into a call and response between a sinister male-type voice and a desperately stuttering staccato female voice, separated by sections of childlike chanting. This is the weirdest song on this album, and while there's nothing as outre in it as the braying donkey in "Get Out of the House" on The Dreaming, it would be hard to describe this as pop. (Interestingly enough, it's theme of judge and jury and the helicopter sample that ends it recalls, unintentionally I think, Pink Floyd's The Wall.) Returning to a more sedate, if still not normal, mood, "Watching You Without Me" starts as a lullabye, broken by a bridge of either nonsense or foreign lyrics not repeated in the liner notes as well as a repeat of the stuttering "talk to me, talk to me, talk to me" heard earlier. The point of the song, I think, is to provide a calm trough between "Waking the Witch" and "Jig of Life," the latter being a minor-key and darkly urgent variation on the traditional jig. By this time, the drowning theme has been downplayed to some extent, as these middle songs likely portray an inner struggle in the protagonist. "Hello Earth" brings us back to the story, however, by an implied comparison of the drowning person in the overall black sea to the Earth in the inky depths of the Universe. "With just one hand held up high / I can blot you out / out of sight" is a line written as if the Earth is viewed from off-Earth (the Moon or a space capsule), and later in the song the viewer sees storms forming over America and tries to warn the sailors and other in the water, including the poor drowning person, who is in the path of the storm. And then the finale comes, like the calm following the storm, a simple love song that is either the protagonists parting thoughts or, if you want to believe that she is actually rescued before drowning, her affirmation of life and understanding of the tenuousness of our existence by reiterating what she plans to do: "I'll kiss the ground / I'll tell my mother / I'll tell my father / I'll tell my loved one / I'll tell my brothers / How much I love them."
   
   Is this pop? Maybe, perhaps, somewhat. Bush had always played with pop music tropes from her first success, the book turned song "Wuthering Heights," and each successive album contained some nods towards a simple ballad, but it wouldn't be until two albums following this one that Miss Bush would write her own "Sledgehammer" in "Rubberband Girl" (on The Red Shoes, an album that would also feature a song co-written and performed as a duet with his purpleness, Prince). To me, though, Hounds of Love is Bush's career high point, where her experimental art sensibilities were leavened with enough pop understanding to achieve a masterpiece of production, performance, and purpose, propelled with a singular power of vision and which wraps up in a peaceful platitude. Other albums contain highlights; only this one is perfection.