1 comments about Whore: Tribute to Wire.

1. This is a phenomenal tribute album to the seminal post-punk British band Wire. From the gorgeous images that adorn the album pages (which remind me of some of the work of Vaughan Oliver and V23 for 4AD records) to the very high-caliber music included, tribute albums do not get any better than this. Certainly there are arguably a few tracks that might not be to your liking, but pretty much every band/musician involved seemed highly inspired, and wanted to contribute some quality music.
   
   From the more well known acts (Lush, My Bloody Valentine, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Mike Watt from the Minutemen, and Laika) to the truly obscure (Scanner, The Ex-Lion Tamers, Polar Bear, and Main), this album covers the spectrum of musical styles. Sure, all are generally of a rock/electronica vein-but beyond that, there is a lot of diverse sounds here. And with only a couple of exceptions, most of the songs do stray pretty far from the originals as well.
   
   Chris Connelly turns in an extremely odd, yet fitting, cover of 'A Mutual Friend' that is like some out-of-tune opera aria by an alien transvestite. Very strange-hilarious and disturbing at once. Lush do their glistening pop/rock thing here in their version of 'Mannequin'-I love the 'la-la-la's' they do. '12XU' has never sounded more different than the version Spasm (who??) do here. By no means is this a traditional punk take on the song-very electronic and slow. Laika's cover of 'German Shepherds' is one of the best things they've ever recorded.
   
   And yes-this album is about the only place you'll find an actual song by a reunited My Bloody Valentine. And yes, it is exquisite. Sheer bliss to listen to. It actually makes their disappearance from the music world even harder to bear-it's that good.
   
   If you are a hard-core Wire addict, you should be open minded enough to enjoy the very different versions of their songs included here. If you are unfamiliar with Wire, but were drawn here by a specific band/s, this is, with limited exceptions, well worth your time-and you hopefully will be encouraged to go discover Wire, the band, properly.

4 comments about Girls Go Ska.

1. Just yesterday I listened to this CD and was still blown away. I say still, because I brought it in winter of 1998 and haven't taken it out of rotation since! Having more than a fair share of ska compilations, this one is by far one of the best; of female or non-female vocalists! In my opinion the first half of the CD is rock solid with tracks from Metro Stylee, Franceska, and Isaac Green & the Skalars (whose track is presented here in a superior mix than what is on their LP) with a nice variety of ska "styles" including rocksteady and third wave. The second half of the CD is not at strong but contains the steller "Worried About You" by Mealticket and "Why" by Highball Holiday. The rest are intances of ok music, but bad singing (Like on "Hey" done by Viskacity). But the good tracks make up for them 10 times over. A highlight from the 90s ska revival period.



2. Every track is a keeper. Just good Ska from beginning to end for both the expert and the novice. "Destroy" is the shining star. It will engage you, body and soul, immediately.



3. It's rare to find a comp. where every single song is good! I don't think there is a bad song on there, 74 min. of rad ska!



4. A good collection of Ska with a female front person. "Skypager" by the Shanksters is exceptional. The Usuals have a excellent track as well. If you like Ska you'll hear some hard to find to impossible to find stuff. Including some tracks for those of us that give rein on occation to the Goddess. Sample "Don't Step On My Fingers" by the The Solicitors.

5 comments about The Duran Duran Tribute Album.

1. It's actually pretty simple. The songs speak for themselves. Anyone who won't admit Duran Duran being one of the greatest pop bands ever and recognizing Simon's talent for melody writing has to reconsider the overall parameters with which one judges. Even the bands that conceptualised this tribute album, which they did for an exact reason, didn't come close to style and beauty with their own songs compared to DD.
   Pier



2. I'm a real die hard fan of Duran Duran and I welcome any good tribute albums that may come along (after all, DD had their own tribute album with "Thank You"!) but if you have any taste in music whatsoever, you will leave this plastic waste alone. I was on the edge of buying the C.D, but after a quick taster of the tracks, I was disgusted. None of the songs had the same spirit as the originals and most of the songs are sung by punk bands that sing the track out of synch and at double speed! I agree remakes should be crafted into the style of the band remaking the tracks, but they should be done with passion, experience and commitment at least (Take "White Lines" by DD!) I was really let down by the great songs on offer, ruined without consideration for real DD fans like myself. They don't even sound like the originals!
   I wish it was good, but it wasn't. Thank You!



3. This is one of my favorite tribute cd's because the bands (in most cases) truly make the songs their own rather than covering the same old version. 'Rio'and 'Hungry Like the Wolf' stand out and are campy and fun. Not sure if hardened Duran fans would agree but I think this is proof the songs hold up on their own.



4. This is a very FUN tribute album. If you are a serious, die hard Duran Duranie, you probably won't like this (or any other tribute album dedicated to Duran Duran). However, for the rest of us, this has a bunch of creative interpretations of these great songs. I bought the CD for Goldfinger's version of Rio (which includes a hilarious 30 second break into Dio's `Rainbow in the Dark'). Other very good renditions come from Jimmy Eat World (New Religon), the Deftones (the Chauffeur), and Less than Jake (The Reflex).
   The album is very reminescint of 80's hair bands with some songs that rock out, with an occasional power ballad. It won't be the best album you ever buy, but it's a good time.



5. Personally, i think the strongest song would have to be by the one unsigned band on the CD; Come Undone by WiseCrack, this song rawkZ!!!

2 comments about State of the Union: D.C. Benefit Compilation.

1. I bought this CD because it featured songs from many D.C. bands that don't have records in print any more such as RAIN, and KINGFACE. I was not disapointed. Highlights of the compilation (for me) are Anger Means by Ignition, Worlds at War by Rain, and the acoustic Swan Street by Three. Some of the music is pretty poor, but it is easily made up for by the power and intensity most of these bands perform with. It is difficult to find music like this anymore. Get a copy before it goes out of print.



2. If you are wondering what the DC scene was like back in the late 80s and early 90s pick up this comp. Its an incredible slice of the scene at that time and represents some of the best emo/punk bands on the East Coast. A couple of the songs don't appeal to me but the tracks by Ignition, SoulSide, Marginal Man, and Fire Party stand out. When this came out I picked up a copy and played it constantly for months. Even now, 11 years later, I still break it out every few months and listen to it with the same excitement I did then.

No comments about Peace Together.

5 comments about Shaken & Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project.

1. Don't believe the bad reviews. This a great album, with lush arrangements that respect the original version but add another view. All Time High by Pulp is really sublime as well as the orchestrations of Moonraker and the Space Themes. If you know by heart the original James Bond's themes you will really appreciate this album. I wish there was a second album!



2. This CD must be on a "need to know basis" because I sure don't get it. I do not understand the mission of David Arnold's James Bond Project. I do not understand the point of the music. There's a lot of sound, some noise, some melody and I can't even describe the rest. How could this CD come from the same person who composed the scores for TOMORROW NEVER DIES, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and DIE ANOTHER DAY ? I hope his score for CASINO ROYALE (2006) will be good.



3. When I first heard this CD a long time ago in a galaxy far far away... I knew I was destined to purchase it. The Composistion from David Arnold is fantastic! Whenever I play the CD in my quality Personal Computer I realize how much I enjoy this music. If you need to relax, if your in the mood for adventure, if you have a vehicle with a CD player and a long stretch of road to cruise down, then listening to this music is a must. Go Bond GO! Thumbs up to David Arnold and his crew. Great product!



4. I bought this not having listened to any tracks at all, but had read that some of the tracks were great (especially the Propellorheads's one)

   My goodness...this disk has, after a couple of listens, entered my never-to-be-played category!

   Most of the covers are horrid. Nobody Does It Better was good, except for the LP-like scratching that is clear at the beginning (at least on my disk which is not actually scratched!)

   The James Bond Theme is worse than execrable. Bears almost no resemblance to the fantastic original!

   The only track that's okay is Iggy Pop's 'All the time in world' mainly coz it doesn't try to be too different to the original.

   All in all, I can't believe anyone released this (let alone the composer of the recent Bond movies). What a disgrace to the original music of the great John Barry and Monty Norman.

   I'm a huge fan of Bond movies, especially their music (apart from the last few films). I enjoy remixes and some techno style music as well, but this album is awful. The listenable tracks are the ones closest to the original (except for reversing the gender of the singer!).




5. If any CD cried out to be released in high-res audio, it's this one. You may have heard a couple of these songs on the Propellerhead's CD (History Repeating) or on the radio. But this is the type of complex electronic music just tailor-made for SACD or DVD-Audio, which despite the failure of the music industry to promote properly, sounds amazing. Wait and see. They'll put this one out again. It's guaranteed $$.

5 comments about Twisted Willie: A Tribute To Willie Nelson.

1. I'm a huge Willie Nelson fan and I love all sorts of music so this was a real treat. I bought it when it came out about a thousand years ago and it was money well spent. When I pull it out of the case, and listen to it, it never disapoints. If you get a chance to pick it up for $5 do it. You won't regret it.
   
   Thanks



2. I am a huge Willie Nelson fan so I bought this cd not knowing what to expect; alternative artists doing Willie Nelson songs, i thought to myself, "What do these artist really know about Willie Nelson besides that fact that everyone has heard on the road again?" Well even if they dont know much about him, they do a good job covering his songs. The cd starts out with this powerful electric guitar riff breaking into a great rendition of Time of the preacher; Johnny Cash on vocals does the song lots of justice. L7 does a good job making Three Days pretty heavy. The rockabilly version of Shotgun Willie is one of the jewels of this disk and Tenderloin does a remarkable job. When Jerry Cantrell preforms I've seen all the world I care to See, you can hear a sencerity in his voice that put you in a mood that Willie must have been in when he wrote the lyrics. One of the original outlaws Waylon Jennings almost makes I never cared for You, his own with his unmistakable voice. Angel flying too close to the Ground is very bizarre and as much as i like Kris Kristofferson, i have never listened to it all the way thru. The worst song, which happens to be a great song by Willie, is Still is still moving to me by Jello Biafra. Just like everything that involves Jello, the band is good, but he has such a horrible voice it makes it unlistenable as his voice sounds like Katherine Hepburns'. All in all this is a good cd and i would recommend giving it a listen.



3. I had this CD when it first came out years ago, and then lost it. I looked everywhere...even online file sharing, and could not find it anywhere. Enter Amazon.com! This is one of the best CD's ever!!! Everyone recognizes Willie's vocal style, but with this album, you really get a feel for his writing style too. This album is out of print and will be very collectable...so buy it while you can! My fav songs: L7, Presidents of the USA, and Jesse Dayton.



4. This is one of the best tribute albums I ever heard. The idea was to make a record with some renegage rock bands covering Willie Nelson songs. For the most part, the idea works very well. They managed to find songs that fit the artists pretty well (mostly using lesser known Willie Nelson songs). Some of my favorites are by L7, Supersuckers, The Presidents of the United States, Jello Biafra and the Reverend Horton Heat. But the real highlights are by elder statesmen Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. Now, Johnny and Waylon may not fit into the "renegade rock band" mold, but when the results are this good, who cares? Anyway, the performances by the two old country outlaws are quite different than what you would expect from the two gentlemen. Cash is accompanied by a feedback drenched guitar on his track, and Jennings is accompanied by just an acoustic guitar. Of course, their vocals are as great as you would expect from these legends. Like I said in the beginning, this is one of the best tribute albums I ever heard.



5. These aren't the most recognizable "Willie Nelson" songs, but the covers are mostly good. Actually I'm pretty impressed with the selection of bands on here. It's as fine as the 1989 "Neil Young" tribute album. Not every one of these are winners, but I really like the covers by "Mark Lanegen", "L7", "Jerry Cantrell", "The Reverend Horton Heat", and of course "Johnny Cash". The only real problem with this disc, like all tributes, is that it just makes you want to hear the real thing, which of course "Willie" is.

5 comments about Virus 100: Dead Kennedy Covers.

1. Maybe the original is always the best. Maybe no one should ever cover a song. Maybe we shouldn't wear our influences on our sleeve. Maybe this music thing is just too exclusive and elite and we should stop listening.
   
   ...or, maybe all that provincial, possessive, narrow B.S. should be ignored, and we should enjoy great CDs whatever form they take. Revolutionary notion?
   
   Granted, there are a few skippers on here -- but there's a high percentage of superb readings of DK songs in a wide stylistic range, and the sound quality is excellent.
   
   Not to be missed are the Didjits, Alice Donut, Steel Pole Bath Tub, and Kramer's psuedo-duet with Sebastian the Crab (from the Little Mermaid)...so wierd!
   
   I prefer the mix of "California Uber Alles" on this CD to the one on the Disposable Heroes album, if you are a fan of them. It sounds a little more immediate.



2. If your looking for a new sound to old DK favorites look no further. This CD has artits that capture the mood and the feeling of the DKs but do it in there own way. From country to rap to loungue versions of some of the best punk songs ever made. A great buy, and probably the best 99 cents i ever spent



3. The problem with tribute albums; you only buy them only if you liked the original, and this is not the original.
   The only remakes I like of DK songs; Disposeable Heros 'California Uber Alles', and Mojo Nixon's 'Winnebago Warrior', which suck on this album.
   I mean buy the original, and if you have to buy a remake, buy the original remakes, Hipocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury and Gadzooks: The Homemade Bootleg.



4. I bought this album on vinyl when it was released. I sat in my room with headphones on, listening over and over again. It was great. I taped it and listened in my car. My friends asked, "what the hell IS this?". I kept listening. It ruled.

   Time passed, I lost the tape, sold my turntable. Last month I bought the CD, wondering if it would still sound as good as it did when I was younger.

   It mostly did. The highlights are definately Moon Over Marin, California Ueber Alles (and if you like it too, check out Spearhead, Mike Franti's current group), and the NOMEANSNO track (a capella! wow!). The other tracks often benefit from a little more volume, and some are too close to the original DK interpretation to be very fresh, but altogether a fine tribute album, and worth your time and money if you like Dead Kennedy's music.




5. this was Alternative tentacles 100th release, they wanted to make it count. if you like DK, this is a must have. The covers are well done and too much fun. this album gives you a complete new feeling for"Moon over Marin" if you are old school and remember the "old days" of punk, this is a definite keeper

No comments about A Fistful of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 2.

5 comments about MTV Buzz Bin, Volume 1: The Zen of Buzz Clips.

1. This is a pretty interesting disc. I guess some of the songs are rap, but mostly it's a collection of songs you've probably heard in the mid 90's. It's worth noting that people who aren't fans of rap might like what they hear on this disc. It's one of those albums you want to pull out every so often to see if you find it as fascinating as you did when you first heard it. I think you'll be surprised it holds up over the years.



2. I don't know really too much about music history and "technicalities" so don't bust a nut after reading my title... But this was a CD my father gave me out of pure whim or something like that... Any way, it doesn't play any more, but I still have it to this very day. It has been 9 years since I first got it and still love ALL the songs. In short, (although a bit too late) BUZZ BIN vol. 1 is a great compilation from America's Anti-Music Television Station: MTV.



3. All of the songs on the album are ones that I'm fond of. I'm pretty surprised at how the songs flow into each other as well. Cranberries "Zombie after White Zombie is rather clever. Check this out if you miss the more heavy sounding songs from the 90's. MTV's Buzz Bin was one of the best things to me in the 90s, and I'm really sad that it's gone now.



4. I first bought this CD because of one amazing song: Cantaloop.

   I hate rap. Yet this is the one song, in its fusion of the old jazz track, with some rap type singing, that just works, as the only song I know where the rap sound adds to the song. It's a pretty unique song I recommend nearly any rock listener check out.

   However, several of the other songs have grown on me, too, which is saying something for someone who is a classic rock fan who otherwise generally feels 'they stopped making good rock in 1980' (The Wall, Who Are You, Led Zeppelin's last albums...)

   They're only overplayed if you listen to the sort of stations that played 'new' music at the time - and they seem much less played now. "Plush", "More Human Than Human", "Zombie", "Everything Zen", "Low", "Creep", "Hey Man, Nice Shot", "Mother" are all actually good to my taste.

   After owning the CD for years, I like it now even better. It may be the only post-1980 CD I need:) (I exaggerate slightly).

   FYI, a lot of the songs have the 'post 1980' sound in rock where there's a combination of soft and very hard (some are more just hard) - but they're the cream of the sound, where so many songs with a similar sound lack the quality of these selections.

   Buy the CD for Cantaloop, and enjoy the icing on the cake from the other good songs.




5. this is a good way to get the best songs from these artists. it is true that each of these songs were very much overplayed. but in recent years, radio and mtv have changed their focus to the boy bands, and this cd has become a welcome alternative to my ears. my only complaint with this cd is that it includes the edited version of more human than human. other than that, it makes for a very enjoyable listen.