1 comments about The UA Singles '79-'82.

1. In a time of punk revivals and new wave wannabes, it's appropriate that the Stranglers should release the second half of their singles box set, covering their output from 1979 to 1982.
   
   Donning its leather jacket and heading for the streets, the collection takes a journey from the straight forward strange punk of Nuclear Device to the excellence of Strange Little Girl, popping over to Sweden and France for home language versions of, erm, Sweden and Don't Bring Harry along the way.
   The quality of the collection says a great deal about the quality of the Stranglers at the time. This is post No More Heroes territory, the sound of a band growing and experimenting, sometimes with glorious results and other times with less than brilliant consequences.
   For the most part, they fall into the former category. Nuclear Device has a ramshackle ridiculous charm, Don't Bring Harry is a dark brooder (as is its French cousin N'emmenes Pas Harry), Golden Brown remains one of the finest and unmistakably original tunes written, and Strange Little Girl is every bit as brilliantly ethereal and twisted today as the day it first rose from the crackling vinyl.
   The downsides are fewer but there's enough here to show this wasn't the band's strongest period. Bear Cage at its best can only be described as a dull tune, Who Wants The World? loses itself in the beginnings of 80s pomp pop, and Sverige (Sweden in Swedish!) is one for the collector nerds amongst us only (though, that is who buy the most box sets so it probably justifies its inclusion).
   Is this as good as the first half of the singles collection? Does Golden Brown beat No More Heroes? Its a question to be debated long into the night as you enjoy this selection, but one thing's for sure. This set proves the band were mainly good, but only occasionally excellent. That in itself, though, is an achievement. Who will be able to say that about the majority of today's pretenders?

No comments about Paper Sleeve Box.

1 comments about Stiff Singles 1976-77.

1. This cool box collects the Damned's 5 singles released on the stiff label. The first 2 singles are off the superb debut Damned Damned Damned and the final 3 are from the underrated follow up Music for Pleasure (C'mon now it did have a have a few good gems tucked away there) New Rose is noted for having been the first single released by a British punk band.
   
   Disc 1
   
   New Rose
   
   Help (Beatles cover)
   
   Disc 2
   
   Neat Neat Neat
   
   Stab your back
   
   Singalong Scabies (instrumental version of stab your back)
   
   Disc 3
   
   Problem Child
   
   You take my money
   
   Disc 4
   
   Don't cry wolf
   
   One way love (great slide guitar intro)
   
   Disc 5
   
   Strecher case baby
   
   Sick of being sick
   
   Strecher case baby was originally a freebie given way at shows to celebrate the band's first anniversary. Also the Strecher case baby single has a cool cover it looks like a skull from far away but up close its a woman sitting in front of a mirror (Def Leppard used the same type of cover on the retro active album). This was available on a single disc compilation called Skip off school to see the damned in 1992 on the Demon record label. Each single also has its cover faithfully reproduced as well.

5 comments about Perception.

1. If you are a Doors fan/lover, then this box set will easily satisfy you. I do prefer some of their other versions to some songs, but most everything else was right on. It was worth the price, and Amazon did a great job on the gift wrap. It was a memorable birthday present for my girlfriend, and even better for me since she moved in. Now we share this great Doors collection.



2. If you are a Doors' fan then this is a new way of listening to them. Out takes and new versions of old favorites.



3. The DVDs do have DVD-Audio (MLP) 24bit 96khz 5.1 tracks for every song.
   
   I couldn't find this info before ordering (Amazon is not very good at properly describing hi-res audio products).



4. if you own a high end audio system w a dvd-audio player this set is a must have for any doors fan.the 5.1 versions are smokin hot, the 1st album not so much probably due to the quality of the original tapes but by the time you get to break on through or wishful sinful you will be weak in the knees, la woman is the same release that was independant some years ago with the kickoff of the dvd-a medium. but the collection is well worth it if you are an audiophile, the other reviews that tell you to purchase the old packages obviously do not have dvd-a players



5. Without getting into all the technical points of this boxed set, this boxed set sounds awesome. Liner notes are outstanding. A must for the Doors fan. This is all you need!

No comments about The Other Side of the Fall.

No comments about Singles Box Set: 1980-1982.

5 comments about Clash on Broadway.

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



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



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

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




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



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

1 comments about Never Trust a Hippy.

1. This is a wonderfully packaged set and lots of Cd's. However it is very rough, even for a bootleg. Sounds like your standing outside the club in the parking lot! There are a select few songs that are ok though. I wouldn't buy it again.

No comments about Complete Collection.

2 comments about Remain in Light/Speaking in Tongues/Fear of Music.

1. Look, its a great deal: (price)or so for 3 albums by a great band. You can't go wrong.

   For me, it was nostalgic; I have the albums on casette, but don't seem to play them anymore. But I have two memories of what I listened to while working on my thesis nearly 20 years ago: my casette recording of my neighbor's Speaking in Tongues and Remain in Light, and NPR radio, which on Sundays used to play some guy telling stories about a lake in Minnesota, along with a show playing folk music. (One day after months of listening to this in the background, I was concentrating on my writing less than usual, and noticed that the two shows were one and the same.)

   Some of the Talking Heads material seems topical all over again, both before Sept 11 ("Our president's crazy / Did you hear what he said?") and after ("the sound of gunfire off in the distance", "what is happening to my skin?") Some of it is inspiring ("I knew my heart was in the right place / I knew I'd be able to do these things") or makes you think ("By keeping an ideal facial structure fixed in his mind or somewhere in the back of his mind / He thought that he might, by force of will, cause his face to approach those of his ideal ... This is why first impressions are often correct") and some of it just makes you think "what were they thinking?" ("Look over there / Dry ice factory / Good place to get some thinking done").

   If you loved them then, you will again; if you missed them then (or weren't born then) try them now.




2. This is an unbelievable offer. Talking Heads is one of my favourite bands of alltime. Three of their best albums are in this pack (Another great album "More songs about buildins and food" is not in the pack). The price is unbelievable if you remember that the CDs are imported. Talking heads, one of the groundbreaking acts in late seventies and eighties with their best recording in this price is like getting a free gift. My favourite songs like "Once in a lifetime", "Burning down the house", "I zimra" are in this 3 CD pack. It is simply a treat for punk flavoured world music lovers. This should be the buy of your life.