No comments about Punk, Proud & Nasty.

1 comments about Singles 83/84.

1. When I first heard of the Toy Dolls back in the mid-80's, this stuff was IMPOSSIBLE to find. I'm happy to have this box set, which contains their singles collection, the first ("Dig That Groove, Baby") second ("A Far Out Disc") and third ("Idle Gossip") lp releases, which replace the old cassettes I taped from friends over 15 years ago. The Toy Dolls are extremely silly and fun - imagine Chuck Berry records being played at the wrong speed in a playground for hyperactive Brit-punks. Olga Toy Doll writes almost all the songs (except when they're doing a zany send-up of 'Wipe-out" or their hilarious version of "Blue Suede Shoes") and pens many themes about characters or places with very clever titles such as "If You're In A Pop Group You'll End Up Paying A Fortune Practicing At Peter Practice's Practice Palace" (which may answer why Amazon hasn't listed them). Although I'd argue that all 4 discs could be more efficient with space (less that 40 minutes per disc), they are authentic to the original releases with original cover art. This is as fun as it gets, and if you think you'd like traditional style rock and roll forced through a pub-punk filter and played by a band that sounds like it's only 10 inches high, give the Toy Dolls a whirl and try to sit still.

No comments about Classics.

No comments about Grrrl Power.

4 comments about The Old Testament.

1. Yup, it's all there. All the official releases from their 1st 6 albums on UA + a few singles. Everything you remember from the heyday of the Stranglers from 77-82. Never really completely punk but somehow harder and nastier & with David Greenfield's sophisticated Organ playing they set themselves apart in a World of their own. All the Classics you would imagine are here 'No More Heroes', 'Get a Grip', 'Something Better Change' hey I could go on and on and on. They were a pretty prolific band on the singles front and this great compilation ends with some of their most successful stuff, which strangely enough was the most laid-back. 'Golden Brown' was one of those few records that crossed all genres. It played everywhere and could be taken as sinister or romantic, take your pick. Back in 77-78' the Strangler's were all about nasty reality which came over in their sexually charged lyrics & their 'Oi mate, shut your face' mentality. At least that's how they came across. Listening back on a lot of their older catalogue I'm impressed by J.J''s deep bass licks & just how threatening Hugh Cornwell's vocals could be. Packaged nicely in a fake antique book style cover. The lid folds off to reveal 4 discs with the track listings pretty much chronological I think. The big big bonus here for all you Stranglers fans (& if you're buying this comprehensive box then I should think you had better be a fan) is the splendid thick booklet that comes with it. Very informative and nicely researched reflecting everything you could possibly want to know about the band. So all in all the best collection of early Stranglers available and a showcase for one of the most unique bands to appear from the Punk/Rock period of the late 70's.



2. If you love music you owe it to yourself to own this collection.
   It will also satisfy the Meninblack.



3. This import covers the Stranglers' strongest stuff. The cost--barring buying an eventual re-mix, which is unlikely--seems high, yet if you wish a near exhaustive catalog, you cannot go wrong here. All of the first albums and most of the singles and B-sides are here (there were a few, mostly foreign-language singles excluded). The book-length liner notes are well-written and amusing, the art-work is fitting, and the material is, as you would expect, superb. The best box set I've ever bought.



4. Wow, didn't know a box set of the stranglers existed but pretty much everything is here. What a great collection of all the classic strangler compositions.

1 comments about Singles.

1. If it's the one I'm thinking of (all the MCA singles collected on a cd), it's got a really cool version of Alone Again Or (I mean really cool, can't stop listening to cool), and some other interesting cover songs I believe, Night Shift, Beat Girl, Temptation (my favorite being Night Shift). Can't stand Would You, the bizarre country song, but that's their sense of humor for you. The rest sound relatively close to the originals, the version of In Dulce Decorum's also pretty cool, too.

No comments about Neat Neat Neat.

4 comments about You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory.

1. As far as a collection of discs go, for any budding Johnny Thunders fan, this is a great start. Beginning with the Heartbreakers' "LAMF Revisited", it may have been rehashed many times, but this mix is decent. As for the other disc go, two differing live show discs present two different sides to what Johnny Thunders was. The first, a more upbeat affair, brings the wilder, drug-driven side of Thunders to the fore, whereas the latter, a much more introspective look, still brings a tear to my eye with his cover of the Rolling Stones' "As Tears Go By", and perhaps captures Johnny's spirit more than anything else he recorded - even more than "You Can't Put Your Arm Around A Memory".



2. There are lots of Johnny Thunders / Heartbreakers live releases and this is a pretty good place to dive in if you are interested. Lots of very rocking good stuff here, the sound is great throughout and the performances are energetic.



3. This three CD set, priced nicely, contains four albums, all remastered. "LAMF Revisited," Johnny's high-end, punchy re-mix of the best ever rock and roll record; "DTK," the wonderfully representative live-in-1977-when-they-ruled recording; "Live at the Lyceum," which could be remastered on Mount Olympus and still be the stinkeroo it is; and "Line and Wasted--Unplugged," a swell acoustic set. If you are new to Thundersian muses give this a try. If you are a completest, it can't hurt to hear these remasterings.



4. just be aware it's NOT a JT career retrospective.

   Disc 1 is yet another remix of "LAMF".

   Disc 3 is "DTK- Live at the Speakeasy"; I know, at one point, you could get BOTH these titles on one CD

   Disc 2 is the Lyceum concert with some bonus tracks.

   So, it's a good basic "Heartbreakers" collection, but the Dolls and solo stuff isn't really represented.

   Great stuff, of course... but not what"Entertainment Weekly", for one, thought it was.

No comments about Classic Electronica.

3 comments about I Spit on Your Gravy.

1. Hardcore punkers unite!!! There are so few of us left of the original punkers in LA, now my kids are in to it, being married with a mohawk and having children, it finally grew out, but, the music stood with me. Now, my daughter Haydee, who now has met Joey Ramone, Dee Dee, Exploited has carried on the legend...Put this in your punk collection and put on your old Converse, Boots and old army fatigues and color your hair, but remember, it has to come from the inside first. ...



2. Hardcore punkers unite!!! There are so few of us left of the original punkers in LA, now my kids are in to it, being married with a mohawk and having children, it finally grew out, but, the music stood with me. Now, my daughter Haydee, who now has met Joey Ramone, Dee Dee, Exploited has carried on the legend...Put this in your punk collection and put on your old Converse, Boots and old army fatigues and color your hair, but remember, it has to come from the inside first. TO All the Old Punkers, remember this line,"Filthy Americans, non of us ... see, ... is ugly, none of your free hippee love ... 'ere!!!, slurping??!!!"" Heh! Heh!



3. if you like old school punk then this is the way to go. it has artists like the Sex Pistols, who were/are the most well known punk band of this era. forget the new wave of punk, this is punk at it's best and it's most original.