5 comments about The Very Best of... Sting & the Police.

1. This was the first album that I purchased that was by Sting and I am so glad that I acted on my hunch to get this cd. I love how he magically melds very creative songwriting lyrics with his very unique voice. There are quite a few good tracks on this album. Some of my favorites are "every little thing she does is magic", "if you love somebody set them free". "if I ever lose my faith in you", "fields of gold", "brand new day" and "desert rose". I grew up listening to his music on the radio and finally decided to buy one of his cd's last year. I also love how confident his voice sounds in the songs. If you like 80's music, classic soft rock and/or pop and you want to hear a mix of 80's and 90's I would definitely recommend this cd.



2. I enjoy listening to both Sting and the Police; all in one. A nostalgic trip for both me and my daughter. Excellent album



3. I must confess to being a particular fan of folk songs, and of many styles of songs from Bob Dylan to the Beetles and Johnny Cash. And now I have become addicted to making my own amateurish videos, with music. And among my very favorites for backgrounding is this album, with Sting and The Police! There are some marvelous words here, actual poetry if you will. This album has given me a great deal of pleasure both for listening and also for backing my videos of my favorite actor, Jason Isaacs!



4. What can you say you got the best of Sting and the Cops (LOL) it is a very good by.



5. This one is perfect if you are looking for all of The Police & Stings best hits!

5 comments about The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself.

1. This Cd/DVD has all his greatest hits and all of Idol's greatest music videos. The sound and video quality is great. If you like the 80's and/or good music then get this CD.



2. There is 13 video clips on this CD/DVD. For example Hot in the City, Rebel yell, Dancing with myself and so on. The video quality on a few of the clips could be better. But I put this down to time when they were recorded back in the early 1980s.
   The DVD format is NTSC not PAL, this may or may not be a problem. Other then that there is a good number of his songs on this best of collection.



3. If you are looking for Billy's original hits and videos you can't go wrong here. Great old videos!



4. This Album was great, and i was feeling like an Teenager.
   Great Songs and Great Videos.
   All Guy who loves the 80's buy it.



5. I own 3 of Mr IDOL's GREATEST compilations ( VITAL IDOL, GREATEST HITS and Idol songs 11 of the best) and probably you also own at least one of the 5 greatest hits By BIlly
   but this is the best one;by far WHY? because it has the killer dvd together!incluiding great,excellent masterpieces of an era that wont come back,.(raw outrageous videos full of power and glory)
   The DVD makes this package WORTH!!

5 comments about Fear of Music.

1. A brief survey of the musical landscape from about 1963 until the present yields the following results:
   
   1. There are a lot of people who write and perform songs that are about nothing;
   2. There are some people who write and perform songs that are about something;
   3. There are precious few people who can write songs that are essentially about nothing and in constructing and performing them, turn them into songs that are about something.
   
   David Byrne's unique genius, as far as I can tell, is his ability to slot himself (with band in tow) into the third category. Now perhaps this isn't quite a fair, accurate assessment of his body of work, because in a sense the songs he wrote during this period are indeed about something, in fact they are about a lot of things. But the jumble of ideas is essentially nonlinear, and the stories these songs tell are more in the performance and arrangement of ideas than via a standard narrative. This was something almost unprecedented for the "pop" music world, and I think this album was where it reached its apex for Byrne and co.
   
   On songs like "Air," "Animals," and "Drugs," for example, it's hard to determine what the message is. But the way these songs are performed is gripping and provides them a weight you'd never suspect from a cursory read through the lyrics. Take for example the absurdist lyrics to "Air":
   
   Air...Air
   Hit me in the face
   I run faster
   Faster into the air
   (I say to myself)
   What is happening to my skin?
   Where is that protection that I needed?
   Air can hurt you too
   Air can hurt you too
   Some people say not to worry about the air
   Some people never had experience with...
   
   Air...Air
   It can break your heart
   So remember when the weather gets rough
   (You'll say to yourself)
   What is happening to my skin?
   Where is that protection that I needed?
   Air can hurt you too
   Air can hurt you too
   Some people say not to worry about the air
   Some people don't know s*** about the...
   Air...
   
   Ok what the - ? But give this a listen, Byrne's lyrics channeled through his one-of-a-kind high-pitched vocal performance and set against a tight, edgy guitar-driven white-boy funk workout. The paranoia and claustrophobia are virtually palpable. It's as if the air is pursuing, attacking the narrator. Or perhaps the narrator is only perceiving this to be the case? Is the danger all in the paranoid's head? Or is it real? The song offers no resolution.
   
   This album is varied as well, some lyrics almost telling something of a semi-linear story ("Life During Wartime") or making a point about everyday existence ("Heaven"). The common theme is the examination of small things, details in our lives that we might miss if we weren't careful to pay attention to them. "I got some groceries, some peanut butter, to last a couple of days," intones Byrne about halfway into "Life During Wartime," and it's easy to believe that this mundanity would be of significant concern to a man hiding out in a building during a war. On "Animals," Byrne scolds non-human creatures for "living on nuts and berries," setting a "bad example" for the rest of us. I like to think of this as a statement of supreme irony (after all, the animals are surviving quite well but look at humanity!), however the lyric leaves a lot to the listener's imagination. It takes a mind like Byrne's to think of concepts like that, and enjoy it or not it does provoke a reaction from most people. That's art. The very definition.
   
   The album is also a relentlessly edgy, herky-jerky tight funk workout which remains one-of-a-kind no matter how many other bands try to emulate it. If it weren't so overtly weird, it might even play well as a party record. I was born two years after its release so I have no idea how it was received by the public at the time. Honestly, compared to a lot of new wave stuff from that era, it's really not that extreme in some ways. A matter of context I suppose.
   
   In sum, this is a brilliant work and holds up just as well now as it ever did. I love all of the music that this band created, through their final few (poppier) albums, but this one remains the most striking to me. A rare moment in history where depth of performance and attention to compositional detail transformed abstraction into something concrete and tanglible.



2. This album will never replace Remain in Light for me as the ultimate Talking Heads experience. But then, nothing will. Nonetheless Fear of Music is very audiophile, not unlike Remain in Light. There is a lot going on through each track, and much of it goes undetectable without the use of high frequency headphones. "Memories Can't Wait" is no doubt a great example of this. But unfortunately, despite all the cool arrangements, sounds, samples, and grooves on Fear of Music, there just isn't enough in the songwriting department. I feel like this album is very well produced, and I think the musicianship is prevalent. At times, Byrne is very witty. But there is no "Once in a Lifetime" on this album, even if "Air" comes fairly close. "What is happening to my skin?....Some people say not to worry about the air....but Air can hurt you too!" lol. It got a laugh out of me anyway.
   
   This is a very worthwhile album. It really is worth listening to, just for all the ear candy injected into the stomach of this album. Especially on the stronger tracks, you can tell in the direction (Remain in Light) they are headed. Lyrically, we see Talking Heads near their best on "Air," and "Heaven." When listening to "Drugs," for the first minute and a half I have to remind myself that this is not a Brian Eno record. Because until David Byrne starts in, "Drugs" could easily fit in as an instrumental in Before and After Science. Unfortunately, the vocals ruin the ambiance of this track. Good thing Eno did solo work.
   
   Best tracks: Air, Life During Wartime, Memories Can't Wait, Heaven.



3. Summer of 1979. I just graduated from high school. I was into The Who and Led Zep during those years and then I listened to this album. Fear of Music instantly changed my listening preferences much like in the scene from Taxi when Jim, as a college student, eats a pot brownie and changes immediately into the stoned Reverend Jim. Fear of Music introduced me to Eno, Bowie, early Roxy Music, and alot of the new wave music that was coming out at that time. David Johansen's first album stayed on my turntable for a long while. Today Luna and Wilco take up alot of space on my iPod, and I thank Fear of Music for this.



4. David Byrne always passes off the "Fear" angle/theme here as a joke -- but I don't buy it. These songs are anxious, clautrophobic, and twisted -- and legitimately so to my ears. They're also poppy as a laundry basket full of poppyseed muffins, and this aural culture clash has been known to lead to vertigo -- don't look down....



5. Buy it, definitely. Every song is great (except Animals - I never could get into that one). It's dark, it's funny, it's artsy (in a good way), it's 100% unique, like the Talking Heads in general. Best cuts: I Zimbra; Cities; Life During Wartime; Air; Heaven (my favorite of the bunch) and Drugs. Buy it, and pick up More Songs About Buildings and Food, Remain in Light and Speaking in Tongues while you're at it.

5 comments about Closer.

1. Amazon's song list is incorrect. This is the correct listing:
   CD One: Closer
   "Atrocity Exhibition" - 6:06
   "Isolation" - 2:53
   "Passover" - 4:46
   "Colony" - 3:55
   "A Means to an End" - 4:07
   "Heart and Soul" - 5:51
   "Twenty Four Hours" - 4:26
   "The Eternal" - 6:07
   "Decades" - 6:10
   
   CD Two: Live at ULU 8 February 1980
   "Dead Souls" - 4:58
   "Glass" - 3:42
   "A Means To An End" - 4:00
   "Twenty Four Hours" - 4:05
   "Passover" - 4:53
   "Insight" - 4:01
   "Colony" - 4:04
   "These Days" - 4:17
   "Love Will Tear Us Apart" - 3:13
   "Isolation" - 4:41
   "The Eternal" - 6:30
   "Digital" - 3:14



2. This is the better of the two Joy Division albums, though their first is an excellent album itself. This music is just so charged with the intense feelings of Ian Curtis, you can't possibly describe how heavy this album is. I won't say more. Just go and buy it. It is worth your money, it is worth your time, and if you can, go see the movie Control and enjoy Joy Division. Music this good cannot go unheard.



3. I'm sitting here two weeks before Christmas debating whether to buy this CD for my 21 year old son. He loves rock and roll, and he's in a band and writes music, and he is as of now blissfully unaware of Joy Division.
   
   Is it right to give this record to somebody? Is Christmas the right time to do it? People who have heard this record will know exactly why I ask these questions. There is no more gut wrenching work of art in existence in all the world than "Closer." Period. "Decades" is the most gloriously sad moment of human emotion ever captured for posterity. The despondent and exhausted refrain of, "Where have they been," repeated deep amidst the swirl of ether-like synths is so bone-chillingly haunting that it simply cannot be described. It must be heard to be believed.
   
   I always imagined "Decades" to be the final cut on the record. It would seem most fitting there. But the album lists no A or B side to confirm it. Such obfuscation only seemed perfect at the time. It was better not knowing. It wasn't important which side got played first, by the time both sides had been played, the listener came out the other side feeling the same way. The sadness and the pain saturates, it permeates, it envelopes and there is no, repeat, no redemption or hope anywhere in the process. This is as complete and stunning an impression of personal and internal despair as you will ever find.
   
   Don't listen to this record if you are depressed or suicidal! It is too painful.
   
   And, yet, remarkably, it is great rock and roll. The production is coldly distant, as if recorded in a church. The arrangements are simple, rhythmic, spare, and repetitive, and each instrument comes through the ambient reverb with stark and remarkable clarity. Ian Curtis' vocals fly through like arrows. The band has punk energy and can slash like a chainsain one moment and then chunk and lurch the next. This is a first class rock band churning out first class rock and roll songs. And then the band can bathe you in the lushness of "Decades."
   
   It is important that anyone who loves rock and roll, or even art, at some point listen to this record. For a full of understanding the human condition, it is that important. Whether to own it, and to listen to it repeatedly is healthy, that's an individual thing.
   
   So, still I'm left, wondering if this makes a good Christmas gift. Well, maybe not. It seems that a Christmas gift ought to be a bit more joyful. But at some point, this record will end up in his collection.
   
   Scott



4. My friend got me into New Order because of their song, "Age of Consent." I found the song to be very uplifting, upbeat, and catchy. I did a little research and found out that Joy Division was the initial band before the remaining members (after the lead singer's death) decided to create New Order. So, I found this album at the record store and bought it on a whim not knowing what exactly to expect.
   I instantly fell in love with this album! The style is nothing like New Order. The music does have a few danceable licks in it but the singing is constantly very low and melancholy. This contrast is outstanding and the emotion and passion in the music is so beautiful!
   
   This album is perfect, even by today's standards.



5. Not much I can write about Closer which hasn't already been said--many times over--in the 25+ years since it was first released. It's a likely choice as the most essential post-punk recording (a difficult decision, given the competition, from that fertile era: how can one not mention Gang of Four, or Wire, or...?)
   
   While Unknown Pleasures is great; Closer is near perfection. Among its rare qualities: brilliant sequencing, with many of the most emotionally-wrenching tracks held back until nearly the end. (So many mediocre LPs have been front-loaded with singles, followed by crap which shouldn't ever have been released).
   
   Then there's its depth: how it continues to reward attentive listening, even after you've heard it hundreds of times. I never felt capable of truly understanding "Decades" until I'd lived a few decades myself.
   
   It was nothing less than a work of genius, how Ian Curtis (in his early-to-mid-twenties) went so deeply inside the dark core of his psyche. Not merely his own, but the human psyche. Few dare to introspect with such painful clarity, and Ian's history indicates the journey was too hazardous, as I imagine it would be for most of us.
   
   When someone you love takes their own life, the question "why?" is always close to the surface. But when you hear Ian's songs on Closer, you never wonder. You KNOW his inner world was an eternal grey void too painful to endure.
   
   If your own soul is bent and brittle, you feel the odd comfort (like a familiar friend) of knowing: someone else has struggled under the same inexplicable weight. Other times, it's too much--too close to home--and you need hit "stop" and shut it off.
   
   The packaging of this reissue evokes memories of Peter Saville's graphic design on the original LP, while avoiding misguided attempts to fully mimic that format in miniature (cardboard sleeves are a poor choice for CDs; the discs tend to get scratched, and it's no small bother to remove and re-insert the CDs each time you listen).
   
   One quibble: hopefully the liner notes are fascinating, but I can't read them. The text is almost microscopic! I'll be forced to put the booklet on my scanner, in order to get the words on my PC's screen at a readable size. (Those of us who heard Joy Division as teens are now reaching bifocal age.)

5 comments about The Wedding Singer: Music From The Motion Picture.

1. If you are lookin for 80's music, then I strongly recomend this and the 2nd soundtrack to The Wedding Singer. It has a different range of songs from the 80's. I loved the movie when I first saw it, then I bought both soundtracks and fell in love with them too. In the movie, adam sandler sings quiet a few songs from the movie. Like he sings Dead or Alive's Spin me around, Madonna's Holiday, and Love Stinks. His backing band member George sings the culture club song Do You Really Want To Hurt Me. but on the album, it has the actually artist singing on them. It even has 1 song adam sandler sang in the movie. Somebody Kill Me, in the movie, he says he was listing to The Cure a lot



2. I love this movie and love the songs played during it. However, what I discovered was that the songs had either been altered or truncated for the movie and there are many of these songs that have cussing. I don't go for swearing, especially in music, so I was dissapointed.



3. This transaction was smooth and completely trouble-free. The CD arrived in perfect condition. Shipping was quick too.



4. CD looked pretty bad on the back but it plays without problems. It had me worried at first but overall I am a happy customer.



5. not much to say i bought this since i had the outher cd and it bhas a couple songs i liked.

5 comments about The Essential Iron Maiden.

1. more than half the set is essential but redone 6 times before the other 40% is new non essential songs.



2. I know that there are a lot of "Greatest Hits" or "Best of" from any group and there'll always be some songs that slip through the cracks. If you do not have anything from I ron Maiden, this is a great place to start. Brings back memories...



3. OK, let's get one thing straight right off the bat: NOTHING Iron Maiden have recorded since '7th Son of the 7th Son' deserves to be called 'essential' in any way, shape or form so the title of this comp (which is pretty pointless to begin with given how many of these things already exist....) is highly misleading.
   
   The worst offenders here are the 4 Blaze era cuts (Futureal, The Clansman, Sign of the Cross, Man on the Edge) which are beyond dreadful in every way possible. Nails on a chalkboard! I guess, we'll never know what kind of glue Steve Harris was sniffing when he picked this atonal wannabe over the scores of great vocalists that also applied for the then vacant job. And 'Arry's songwriting was just as bad as his singer during those dark years.
   
   Aside from the Blaze stinkers there's plenty of weak Bruce-era stuff on tap as well. 'Dance of Death' must be referring to the band preparing for their own funeral, one of the weakest Maiden albums ever. 'Brave New World' was actually a decent if spotty comeback album; the Adrian Smith-penned 'The Wickerman' is a good rocker that harkens back to the days when Maiden got to the point in 3 or 4 minutes instead of putting people in a coma with pseudo progressive drivel. On the other band, 'Be Quick Or Be Dead', 'Fear of the Dark', and 'Holy Smoke' are all subpar and lifeless (where is 'Tailgunner'?), and Nicko's stiff drumming totally kills 'Bring Your Daughter.... To the Slaughter' (shades of Samson!) which Bruce recorded a far superior version of on his own (and landed a hit with - which is why Harris wanted to it on this album. But that's another story.....). Closer 'The Clairvoyant' isn't exactly a barnburner either.
   
   Bottom line: Disc 1 is certified GARBAGE almost without exception.
   
   So we've had gone through the bad and the ugly - what is the good? - All the very early stuff, of course. Steve Harris has stated that he doesn't like the first Maiden sonically but the sense of urgency the lads played with back then has never been matched. I'm burned out on 'Running Free' but it's still a great song, and 'Phantom of the Opera' is a masterpiece. Sadly, the band's best album, 'Killers' gets short shrift here (I'd have added at least 2 more tracks, especially the epic 'Prodigal Son') and the Bruce tracks take up most of the space on Disc 2. And they're all top shelf Maiden with the exception of 'Heaven Can Wait' (gimme 'Where Eagles Dare' or 'Can I Play with Matches' instead). God, Maiden really were amazing band once upon a time but they crashed hard and ran out of good ideas about 20 years ago as Disc 1 is ample proof of.
   
   Bottom line #2: This should be a single not a double CD as Disc 1 is clearly anything but essential. I wouldn't even recommend this comp to a Maiden newbie - just get the first 4 albums instead and be AMAZED at the true brilliance that WAS Iron Maiden (and then get the next 3 studio album and 'Life After Death' - that's all you'll ever need).
   
   I'm giving this release 2 stars - 5 stars for Disc 2 and minus 3 stars for Disc 1 and the fact that this is simply another poor catch-in attempt by the band's label to bilk die-hard fans and collectors.



4. This product turned out to be exactly like the description and it got to me in a decent amount of time.
   
   Thanks



5. For starters, I am Canadian, and I am a HUGE Maiden fan. Maiden ARE my life. Maiden are almost all I listen to (don't worry, I listen to other stuff too), and their music have pretty much made me the person I am. With only 3 weak albums (No Prayer, The X Factor, Virtual XI), and the other albums being great, Maiden have changed my life and made me a better person...musically. My dad has offered to take me to Somewhere Back In Time 2008 when it comes here.
   
   Now this is obviously just a cash in from Essential. If it's the "Essential" Maiden, then why is 98% of this just singles? The only REAL essential tracks on here are The Clansman (I've grown to like the song), Sign Of The Cross and Phantom Of The Opera. I believe that any compilation without "Genghis Khan" and "Murders In The Rue Morgue", as well as "Invaders" is NOT a Maiden Compilation that "doesn't suck".
   
   Here would be my tracklisting (spanning from Iron Maiden to Dance of Death, like this does):
   
   (spanning over 2 or 3 discs)
   
   1. Phantom of the Opera
   2. Prowler
   3. Iron Maiden
   4. The Ides Of March and Wrathchild
   5. Murders In The Rue Morgue
   6. Genghis Khan
   7. Purgatory
   8. Run to the Hills
   9. Invaders
   10. The Number Of The Beast
   11. Children Of The Damned
   12. Where Eagles Dare
   13. Revelations
   14. Flight Of Icarus
   15. The Trooper
   16. Aces High
   17. 23:58
   18. Powerslave
   19. RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER (that is essential)
   20. Caught Somewhere In Time
   21. Wasted Years
   22. Sea Of Madness
   23. The Lonliness Of The Long Distance Runner
   24. Moonchild
   25. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
   26. Be Quick Or Be Dead
   27. Afraid To Shoot Strangers
   28. Childhood's End
   29. Sign Of The Cross
   30. The Clansman
   31. Brave New World
   32. Ghost Of The Navigator
   33. Wildest Dreams
   34. No More Lies
   35. New Frontier
   
   
   Overall, that's my compilation. I think that'd be a better compilation. Ok whatever, I think I'll go to Edward The (Not so) Great CD, you know, where they include the most overhyped tracks like this does. Except this is much worse.
   
   UP THE IRONS, and AVOID THIS CRAPPY CASH IN FROM ESSENTIAL!

5 comments about The Best of OMD.

1. This CD is really the best. The CD is really great and exceeded my expectations. The service and price was excellent also. I received it in a timely manner and in first class condition



2. An inexpensive way to get yourself a copy of most of OMD's best work.
   Most of their classics on one disc. Good intro for the newbie.
   
   Mix seems a bit bass-heavy to me but it sounds better that way--gives authority to the music and avoids the dreaded sharp vocals/shrill synths syndrome.
   
   I used to disdain this band but now, having heard more of their work it's clear they are songwriting wizards casting their special style of sentimental spells with mastery.



3. This is a great CD. I had forgotten just how good OMD was. I bought the CD rather than just burn the song I wanted on a CD because I wanted to hear more of their works. This was a great investment, and I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys OMD or just plain good music.



4. I just love this CD... it brings back so many great memories of my teenage years back in Germany in the 80s. It really captures the new wave/synth music which was so popular back then in Europe and played on the radios and clubs all the time. I especially love their early song "Souvenir". This CD is one of my all time favorites...



5. If you are an OMD fan this is a must have! It has all of their best songs. Worth every penny.

5 comments about The Sun And The Moon Complete [2 CD].

1. "The moon" versions of every song are simply better. I don't understand what people are talking about when they say the songs sound "forced" on the remixes. Sam Endicott's vocals sound more believable on "the moon" versions...I think the first CD is the one that sounds more "forced". "The Moon" version of "Time Won't Let Me Go" is much better than the original version. And there is no comparison between the original and "The Moon" version of "The Ocean". Unfortunately it seems this version of the CD will slip into the cracks as a gimmick rather than a truly better version of the first. By the way, on the original version of "Bad Sun", the whistling sounds way off key to me...the alternate version is much better.



2. The second album by The Bravery is a radical departure from The Bravery, in a major improvement. Gone are the Duran Duran/Killers imitative songs and pseudo-new wave posturing, in are melodic songs with acoustic underpinnings. While a comparison to the radical shift The Killers made with Sam's Town is more than a little apt, The Bravery sound more like they boned up on Coldplay, The Rembrandts, The Cure or even a little Pink Floyd when they started laying the groundwork for "The Sun and The Moon."
   
   The album is a low key affair, without the obvious single that marked "An Honest Mistake." But given time, "Time Won't Let Me Go" and "Believe" stay in your memory. There are a couple of darker moments, like "Tragedy Bound," about a woman so hard luck that "She's cutting herself just to see if it works." If you miss the breezy, easy pop of the debut, there's "Bad Sun," with an inescapable whistling hook.
   
   The second disc in this special set is something of a mystery. The original album is compleley overhauled to make it into a night-club electronic disc, which often sounds like a force fit. It works on the numbers that were singles anyway ("Believe" and a total rethink of "Time Won't Let Me Go") but bleeds the charm out of "Bad Sun." In the case of "Time" and "The Ocaen," they almost turn into completely different songs. Personally, I prefer the more organic Sun (original) version, but a few elongated remixes could pump the "Moon" disc into a few club staples.
   
   The Bravery have not completely escaped their past, however. "Every Word is a Knife In My Ear" is on a par with "Stop Drop and Roll" from the debut as filler and "Split Me Wide Open" is way too heavy handed lyrically for its own good. Main Braveheart Sam Endicott can be proud of this effort, though. With "The Sun and The Moon," he and his fellow Bravery mates have transcended their roots and made an album that shows a band with more promise than their debut would have led you to contemplate.



3. Honestly I can say that previous Bravery album is better...
   
   But the sun and the moon is a "must have" 2 cd album...
   
   the moon version of songs are better than the sun version and the sun version is not bad... The bravery is the band of festivals... must see..
   must listen... must have...



4. I buy a lot of music and don't often have the time to listen to the CD's I buy, but this time I did and I wasn't disappointed. This is an excellet second delivery from The Bravery, be proud, be very proud.



5. I am glad that I waited to purchase this ablum until this double disc came out! I loved their first album. If I had only heard the first disc (the original) I would have been disappointed that they may have sold out, but that first disc opens up an understanding of the song writing ability and depth from this band. Without this first disc, his lyrics would almost go entirely unnoticed. So this first disc (the original album) is important, but not like their first album in many respects. The second disc just ROCKS! And is exactly like the first ablum. I would highly recommend getting both Albums. Listen to the second disc first to satisfy the demand for the BRAVERY that we all know and love, and then listen to the first disc to learn to appreciate the lyrical ability of Sam E. Both discs are fantastic, and both discs are entirely different songs (same lyrics). I hope that this band considers doing this more often - just releasing them at the same time.

5 comments about Beauty and the Beat.

1. Here it is the go go's very first alumb i mean cd the one that started it all and when they sing that their lips are sealed they ain't kidding it is one of their best and the only thing i can say is you go girls they are still with us.
   
   Rondall



2. I got this album on vinyl my freshman year of high school and just about wore it smooth, I played it so much. If you are a lover of '80's California girl bands--this album is a must have.



3. i am listening to beauty and the beat by the go-gos as i review it. i like the songs our lips are sealed, we got the beat,tonight,how much more,lust in love,fading fast,skidmarks on my heart,this town,and can't stop the world. go-go get this album,you will enjoy hearing it again. ed wilson



4. Okay, Beauty & The Beat, the debut and quissessential disc by the Go-Go's does have this release on CD by IRS Records but while their next two albums 1982's Vacation and 1984's Talk Show got a huge remastering treatment on their releases, this album lacks the sound quality of those discs. Why I ask you Why??? Most definitely the best of the Go-Go's albums, this launched their career and took us all by storm in 1981, "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat" were the big singles but that's only the surface of this gem packed full of high energy poppy new wave. "Skidmarks On My Heart" is a hilarious walk through the mind of a girl whose boyfriend spends more time working on his cars than on her, "Lust To Love" could be the story of my life, "This Town" is one of the all time best songs about Hollywood ever performed, "Can't Stop The World" is highly kinetic energy in all of its glorious 3 minutes and even when they turn the beat down a bit on "Automatic" it's still highly energetic. All in all, a very very excellant CD and one that should get IRS off their butts and do it right. Let's see the Stiff singles and the Fast Times songs... but most importantly a full on remastering.



5. When is this album going to be remastered? The other two are. What are they waiting for?

5 comments about The Virgins.

1. The Virgins (2008, Atlantic) The Virgins' first studio album. ***
   
   Drawing equally from the Police, 70's and 80's dance pop, and a little of their own creativeness, the Virgins have managed to create a decent yet slightly generic album. It's the sort of thing that anyone can enjoy as background music, but when the question is what the Virgins are contributing that others haven't, the silence falls. I don't scold them, honestly, I enjoyed it well enough, but when you draw so much from an influence that your song can almost be confused for the influence (on Rich Girls, namely), it gets you down knowing they could have done it better. Entertaining enough, but a bit too much and not enough spunk.



2. The major label debut of the Virgins features some songs that already appeared on their earlier EP, and you should put your money there. The songs here are over-produced and have lost the edge that made them so amazing.



3. I first heard One Week of Danger on Gossip Girl, and loved it. I found it on You Tube and played it all the time, and couldn't wait for a full length album to be put out. When I picked up this album I was sorely disappointed to find out that the music I had loved so much for the past few months in no way resembled what I had just bought. The music was slick and stylized and over produced, not leaving any of the grit that I had loved. The lyrics to One Week Of Danger were not all the lyrics that I had been singing for the past six months. This album could have been put out by a completely different band for all I knew, it was that different. I won't say it is a bad album, there are some interesting tracks on it, but for those of you expecting the raw version you heard on You Tube and Gossip Girl, you won't find it on this album.



4. In a time where internet celebrities are perceived as more genuine than most of the artists on the radio, The Virgins are a welcome breath of old fashioned New Wave.
   
   For fans of late 70s/early 80s New Wave fused power-pop bands such as The Cars, The Knack, Blondie, The Talking Heads, and Elvis Costello, this band (along with Vampire Weekend, MGMT and even Phantom Planet) continue in the tradition of creating wonderfully concise pop songs that are as deceptively simple as they are catchy.
   
   Even the most jaded music listener won't be able to get "Rich Girl" or "Hey Hey Girl" out of their head after a single spin.
   
   If you like melodies, hooks, slick (but not overdone) production, and genuine non-cerebral pop-rock, BUY THIS RECORD!



5. I do not buy CD's anymore because I don't feel like spending 20 bucks on 13 tracks, only 2 of which I'll actually listen to. But this band is totally worth it, I LOVE this CD. I looked for it in record stores everywhere (the few that we have left) and no one close to me had it. GREAT music, every song is wonderful!