5 comments about Cheap Trick.

1. I've wondered why Cheap Trick seldom gets much airplay--I suppose they're considered '70's or '80's 'relics, like many other groups from those areas. But I find their music from the past 15 years is even better than a lot of previously-released things that were 'hits'--not that some of those hits weren't good, or even great. But I've never heard the group sound better than on this release. One of their best songs, ever, is here--" It All Comes Back" but there are plenty of others that deserve your attention. On this tune, which has many different emotions in the lyrics and music, Robin Zander's voice is as expressive as it has ever been and he fills it with emotion. there is some great cello accompaniment inside the song but it's a ballad that I don't think you will forget. There's an awful lot of variety on this CD and you won't regret picking it up--I recommend it highly!!



2. -not, repeat not the eponymous first album- this is Cheap Trick Cheap Trick 1997. the label releasing this album went under just after the albums release. this makes the album hard to come by. that said the record does not contain any 'anthems' or super-hits but provides the beatlesque melodies we have come to know and love from cheap trick.



3. By 1997 Cheap Trick had a career that resembled a roller coaster ride. They became huge stars in the late 70's with their "Live At Budakon" album. Sales slid during the 80's until another big comeback with the more polished commercial sound of 1988's "Lap Of Luxury". During the 90's the band had only put out two albums, "Busted" in 1990 and "Woke Up With A Monster" in 1994. Record sales (and quality) again began to fall. During this time period the band switched record labels and by 1997 they were recording for the independent label Red Ant Records. Although their profile was not as high, recording for Red Ant enabled the band to take back some of the creative control that had been lost with the majors and put out one of their most immediate and best albums in many years with the self titled "Cheap Trick". Unfortunately Red Ant went belly up just a few weeks after this album came out which pretty much stifled any promotional effort to put behind the disc. Too bad as this is probably the best album the band had put out since "Dream Police" in 1979. Gone were the overproduced synthesized laden slop from the band's 80's era. In its place was a return to guitar oriented power pop rock which has always been the band's strong suite. Rick Nielson had not sounded this engaged in years, and the snarl was back in Robin Zander's voice. I pretty much like every song on this disc. For the single "Say Goodbye" their Beatles influence comes shining through, just like in the old days. "Eight Miles Low" could have been written by The Who with its heavy guitar crunch and biting lyrics. In fact just about every song on this disc finds the band wearing their influences on their sleeves. For some this would be a turn off, but Cheap Trick always manages to make these songs their own and sound like no one else. This is a really strong Cheap Trick album that was sadly overlooked. If you are a fan and don't have this one you owe it to yourself to pick it up. You can find this album used from Amazon for only 50 cents!



4. Cheap Trick's 1997 "second" self-titled release is an excellect album. There are only two songs I tend to skip because they are "slow" songs and they don't maintain the power and energy of the others. I love the false-start drums on the opener, and "Anytime" is one of my favorite Cheap Trick songs from their entire career. "Carnival" should have been a huge hit it's very catchy yet also rockin. I have the version with the extra bonus CD containing two more songs, and they are both very good I highly recommend the two-disc edition if you can find it. So, I really enjoy 11/13 songs on this one. If you like albums including the debut, In Color, Heaven Tonight, Dream Police, and All Shook Up get the '97 self-titled it's another solid CD full of great songs from Cheap Trick. My favorite tracks: Anytime, Hard To Tell, Carnival, Wrong All Along, Eight Miles Low



5. This record rocks with energy and focus on par with any great rock record I've heard in the 32 years I've been a rock 'n roll fan. That may sound like an overstatement but there's not a weak track on here. There's a nice balance of rockers and ballads and a flow to the record that never loses it's intensity. If you are a true rock fan you will love this CD. I would say you don't even need to be a Cheap Trick fan. I've got to give the band credit here. It's sounds as if they dug down deep and recaptured some of the magic and quirky angst of say, "Dream Police". It's as if they're 27 again. Wonderful rock record. I highly recommend it!!!

1 comments about Most of the Searchers.

1. Though not as famous as other British Invasion groups, the Searchers were a quite serviceable group. Nice vocals and harmonies.
   "Needles and Pins" is one of the best of the bunch.
   "Love Potion Number Nine" - a great 60s song.
   Nice versions of "Western Union," "What Have They Done to the Rain," and "Twist and Shout."
   Great nostalgia.

5 comments about Hi My Name Is Jonny.

1. This is an absolutely brilliant pop CD, every song is completely perfect. I've been listening to this album for 10 years now, and I'm still not tired of it - and it still sounds fresh. LOVE IT!!



2. I LOVE THIS ALBUM! I've had it for 10 years now and I still listen to it quite a bit. It's very cleverly written, and still my favorite of Jonny's stuff (he's got newer music, but it's heavier. This is the sweet stuff.)



3. This is one of the most loved CD's in my collection. I even had to replace the first copy that started failing after the ten-thousandth play. The album is straight forward power pop and great for rocking out to. Jonny's music is highly energetic and motivated and has intelligent lyrics. Jonny has also recorded a second album that the record companies are having a hard time finding an audience to market it to. Thus, the second album sits, collecting dust, on a shelf somewhere. I would like to buy it and so would the guy who owns the record store, who first sold me this CD. -Definitely check it out.



4. I agree with that guy down below. I found this disc in a bargain bin somewhere and rembered hearing some press about it - what with Frank Black producing and all. Thought I'd give it a listen. It's been one of the few staples in my music collection. I bring it to work every day and take it home just cause I know I'm going to want to listen to it and rock the haus. I keep checking back to see if he's put anything else out, but nothing yet. So grab this while you still can!



5. My music writer friend was getting ready to trade in a bunch of promo CDs and let me look through the bag. Through the junk I picked this CD out. Boy did I choose wisely! I vaguely remember some press on it when it first came out. Now I am strangely obsessed with this disc and have to listen to it all the time. Work, home ...its coming along. Infectious, poppy, Beatlesly, unpretentious. His name is Jonny and that is all I know. I looked for a web site. Looks like he has hats for sale and lives in Chicago. Whatever. Its shameless pop and I love it.

5 comments about Lap of Luxury.

1. I agree with many reviews that Lap Of Luxury has many strong points & a couple of weak ones too. For starters original bass player Tom Petersson is back after an 8 year absence. I never could keep up with all the media coverage on Cheap Trick over the years. So I don't know why Tom left the band. Just burnt out I guess. Let Go is a fun energetic song that gets things moving well. No Mercy is awful though. Let's go forward. The Flame is a powerful ballad one of their greatest ever. Space is a solid rocker that never saw the light of day. I still feel this song could've been a big hit if it had been issued as a single & given airplay. Never Had A Lot To Lose is another solid effort that did enjoy some success as a single. It's also a great tune for dancing! Don't Be Cruel is a fun cover of Elvis' song. But I wonder how do diehard Elvis fans feel about anybody else recording the King's famous music? Wrong Side Of Love is yet another great rocker! Again there was potential for a hit single that was never realized. All We Need Is A Dream is very good too. But not quite worthy of becoming a hit. Ghost Town is an excellent ballad. I can't make up my mind between Ghost Town & The Flame. All Wound up closes the disc. This one tries to be a rock & roller but it's just not there. Lap Of Luxury is Cheap Trick's best cd since 1980's Dream Police. There's something for everyone.



2. Although this was the beginning of a bad spell of records for the Tricksters, you will get enjoyment from half the album.



3. I thougt this album was awesome. If you are looking for "nostalgia" rock' This is it. Thie cover of Don't Be Cruel was wonderful. Please don't waste your time thinking, Buy this album



4. Not much to add to the reviews posted previously, especially 20 years after the fact. Oh well, here goes. One reason for writing this is that I have been a fan of Cheap Trick since the days of ...oh yeah...original release of "In Color....and Black and White". Here is my assesment from the outside looking in:
   One- Epic Records signs a band in 1976 knowing that they are great (actually the corporate brain trust had no idea....you know.....just like the corporate music industry today). Assign them to a producer who was a hit maker for Aerosmith and had worked with Alice Cooper...etc. First album is a disappointment in sales. By the way, critics love it (not that they are any bastion of reliability, but they got it right this time).
   Enter Tom Werman: Cheap Trick gets a producer who understands the talent, but not the dynamic precisely on "In Color". It was too pop oriented for a band that wanted to ROCK" Werman was smart enough to lend his studio cred to rock sensibilites.
   Look out.....Here comes Heaven.
   Yep, the next three Cheap Trick albums are among the triumvirat of pop/rock/blues releases...............EVER!
   How do you follow this up?
   Epic Records response was to keep the band a caricature of themselves. "All Mixed Up" with George Martin....pretty good rockin, but uninspired. "Next Position Please" with Todd Rundgren. Are you kidding. This is match made in heaven. Oh yeah, Heaven has already been created. Pretty close to hell, except for the Rundgren penned "Heaven's Calling" ...how fitting.
   One foot in the grave.
   
   Cheap Trick has been given second wind. "Standing on the Edge" I don't care what some fans and critics say. This is the the heavyweight entering the ring to reclaim their prize. My opinion; best Cheap Trick album of the decade.
   
   Enter "Lap of Luxury". "Standing on the Edge" had given the band one last bridge to the next generation ( I have not forgotten, but omitted the painful "One on One" with one of my favorite producers Roy Thomas Baker....please email me if you have any questions). "Lap..." might have well been entitled "Lap Dance". This is a dreadful affair which shows what happens to a GREAT band when the corporate entities start calling the shots. This is an album that, given their penchant to their fan base, they only perform "The Flame". Given the fact that I am a fan from way back, This song still makes me wince.
   
   Afer all of this: Two decent songs- Let Go and Don't be Cruel. One Cheap Trick song- All Mixed Up, the last song. Go Figure, definetly saving the best for last.
   
   Hope this review is helpful.



5. From a commercial standpoint the 80's were not kind to Cheap Trick. At the beginning of the decade they were a big arena act with platinum selling albums, but over the first 8 years of the decade the band's fortunes would take a turn for the worse. First bassist Tom Peterson left the band after the "All Shook Up" album in 1980. The band added a new bassist and soldiered on, but each successive album sold less than the one prior. By the time "The Doctor" was released in 1986 sales had declined and quality had fallen way off. "Lap Of Luxury" would find Tom Peterson back in the fold and the band's original lineup back in tact. Like Aerosmith, Heart, and other 70's era bands would do a few years later, Cheap Trick brought in outside songwriters to bolster up the creative department. How well this worked depends on your perspective. On the one hand the band had a huge hit with "The Flame" and another top 40 showing with a cover of the old Elvis chestnut "Don't Be Cruel". The album went platinum and put Cheap Trick back up to big time status on the touring circuit. On the other hand I find much of the material here to be rather bland and a few steps below what I know Cheap Trick is capable of. I do like "Never Had A Lot To Loose" which probably could have fit on any early Cheap Trick work, and "Ghost Town" is a nice balled even though it was co-written by schmaltz queen Dianne Warren. The rest of the album is overproduced, very 80's sounding and not nearly as in your face as much of the band's earlier work. I have to hand it to the guys for getting back on the sales charts in a big way, but this is far from the band's best work.

5 comments about Like, Omigod! The '80s Pop Culture Box (Totally).

1. I loved almost every song here. It's hard to find some of these songs like "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Taco and "They Don't Know" by Tracy Ullman, so I liked having them in this set. The only problem I found was the way the set was packaged. It is in a book-like case so I can't put it in my media center with my other CDs. I have to lay it flat on top. That means that I often overlook it when deciding what to listen to because it's not right there with my others. This is the most comprehensive 80's collection I have come across, but it should be in a better case for storage reasons.



2. Rhino's "Have a Nice Decade" did a bang up job on the singles that defined the 70s, 160 of 'em. It also included occasional snippets of prominent news stories from the era to help provide a context for understanding the times. Inevitably there will be people who want nothing more than a bunch of songs thrown together, as though they were raiding their best friend's record collection, but I thought those touches were the features that set the Rhino 7CD set apart from other compilations of that era. There must have been enough pushback though because the 80s set lacks those defining touches. As such, their absence in contrast lends itself to the suggestion that the 80s were just a little more vacuous, a little less newsworthy. So when this 7CD set is called the "Pop Culture Box", it suggests culture as seen through the eyes of a twelve year old whose interests ventured no further than fashion, hair and whether Limahl was really leaving Kajagoogoo for a solo career.
   
   Musically it's worth the cost though it's not as solid as the 70s 7CD set. That's because by this time in musical history, music was fracturing into a myriad of separate radio formats, so the new wave songs and the mainstream songs might not find a common audience. Every disk in this set will at some point probably require you to skip a track or two or more that you can't stand. e.g. There may be people who like late era Starship or hideous soundtrack offenses like "Maniac", but you may find them to be nails on a blackboard. By this time country music was so watered down it no longer needed to cross over to top forty stations, the entire country format sounded like bad pop from twenty years prior. So whereas a box set from the 70s or 60s might include crossover highlights like "Rose Garden" or "King of the Road", even the broadest appeal country music songs are segregated out of this pop culture.
   
   In spite of that, there are a lot of fun pop and bubblegum songs here. One advisory though, a spot check reveals that some of these songs aren't just the single edits, some appear to be following in the footsteps of the old K-Tel albums by including edits even shorter than the singles. For example, my copy of the 45 "Rock This Town" times at 3:24 but when I dubbed this box set to an external hard drive I found that the Stray Cats were subjected to further shortening. All in all high glucose content but not bad for a sugar flashback.



3. This collection is excellent but it is still available at Rhino at a lot lower price than you greedy guys are offering.



4. I'm kinda let down by the fact that 90% of this 7 disc set is repetitive, that is to say you can pretty much pick up almost every song on this collection from Walmart for about AT MOST $25.00.
   
   These are the same songs that have been pushed around on 80's collections since the lat nineties.
   
   With the exception of just a few songs, the other 135+ songs could be and can be found pretty much anywhere and are played to DEATH. The songs I found strangely refreshing here are:
   
   Meco - The Empire Strikes Back
   The Vapors - Turning Japanese
   Afternoon Delights - General Hospi-Tale
   Bob and Doug_McKenzie - Take_Off (this is the single version - the entire version is hilarious!)
   Melissa Manchester - You Should Hear How She Talks About You
   Buckner & Garcia - Pac-Man Fever
   Martin Briley - The Salt in My Tears
   Billy Crystal - You Look Marvelous
   Don Johnson - Heartbeat
   Max Headroom & Art of Noise - Paranoimia
   The Outfield - Since You've Been Gone
   
   Some of these are biazrre novelty songs, and true one hit wonders in the sense that after the song was released some of these individuals/bands vanished.
   
   No as to Trio's "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha" from 1982: does anybody in the USA really remember this song from then? Anybody? As this was geared to elicit memories from 1982, the only proper kind of "electronica" type music from that period that I remember was Vangelis' "Chariots of Fire". Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
   
   Was this song put on to get more people to buy it as they probably remember it more for it being part of a MARKETING AD IN the 1990's for an automaker??? Hmmm... shady, pretty shady, Rhino.
   
   Anyway, for anyone who've NEVER bought a single 80's hits compilation in the last 15 years, this is the set for you. For the other 99.9% rest of us, I tell you - pass on this one. Honestly.



5. At the time I bought this boxed set. This was a great collection. However, now there are so many more 80's music compilations and boxed sets. The best thing about this set is that the songs are by the original artists. Becareful of some sets where not all the songs are by the original artists.

5 comments about Odditorium Or Warlords of Mars.

1. I remember I was bursting with excitement when this album first came out. I got into the Dandys with 13 Tales and Monkeyhouse, both of which featured shorter, arguably poppier songs. From here I delved into earlier Dandys and found a different but just as enjoyable (if not more so) sound.
   
   First time through Odditorium was a huge disappointment. I remember feeling confused, weirded out, and eventually disgusted. I had no patience for the clattering, on-off opener jam (Love Is the New Feel Awful) and was severely annoyed by the piercing, repetitive opening seconds of Down with Disco.
   
   Upon subsequent listens, however, I found Odditorium a rich, dense album that both rocks and rambles. Some of my favorite Dandy tunes are Easy, Holding Me Up, Everyone Is Totally Insane, Smoke It, (and yes) Down With Disco. It's hard for me to choose a number one among the Dandy's albums, but Odditorium is definitely the one that gets better each time you hear it.



2. If you have ADD or other attention span issues, this is not the record for you. If you think Mahler or Wagner are too long, this is not the record for you. If you think movies over one hour 28 minutes are too long, this is not the record for you.
   
   Also, it helps to hear this record on a really really good stereo. There's so much going on musically and sonically that you won't hear it otherwise. iPod? Forget it!
   
   I came to the DWs after they had released this record. I have listened to them all, and frankly don't understand the attitude of those who think their first two records are their best. They're fine, they show lots of promise, but there's little of the refinement and sophistication of the later records. Camper van Beethoven anyone?
   
   I can imagine that if you knew them as a live band when they first started, I'm sure they were fun, and you connected with their early records that way. I heard them live last year, and they sucked. But then, again, I can't imagine how they could possibly recreate the magic of their recent studio recordings live.
   
   This is a very fine record, but you may have to be a grownup to get it.



3. As was the case on the Dandy Warhols' excellent first, non-major-label album, Dandy's Rule OK? (The Dandy Warhols), the odd "Odditorium or Warlords of Mars" starts off with a humorous "spoken word" intro called "Colder Than the Coldest Winter Was Cold," performed elegantly by MC Bill Kurtis. Though the atmosphere on the "Odditorium" intro contains a less jubilant, hopeful feel than what the Dandy's recorded by "Young Thomas Pancake" in the mid-1990s, Kurtis's familiar voice and funny words get "Odditorium" off to a promising start. In fact, the smooth percussion and cool falsetto by singer Courtney Taylor heard on the mesmerizing "Love is the New Feel Awful" tricks one into thinking the Dandy's have permanently reverted to the creatively fuzzy vibe that they so amazingly perfected on earlier great albums like The Dandy Warhols Come Down and Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia.
   
   Unfortunately, it's not quite to be. "Feel Awful" is itself an unnecessarily drawn-out, self-indulgent composition that devolves into a cacophony of competing trumpet, synth and guitar that becomes dull and cumbersome. Directionless experimentation or throwaway tunes stick out elsewhere on "Odditorium": "Did You Make a Song With Otis" is an ultra-short and silly sing-along that was unneeded; "There is Only This Time" is a weird, repetitive, ethereal track that reminds me of what an electronic version of the Benedictine Monks might churn out; and the dreary final song, "A Loan Tonight," may be the most bloated, bizarre tune this band has ever released. Picture listening to a song on a record player that should be playing at 45 rpms instead of 33 and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.
   
   Despite its blatant (and purposeful?) flaws, however, "Odditorium" does have good moments. The upbeat and rollicking "Smoke It" is my favorite track, a good-time number where Taylor's muted vocals and humorous lyrics front a slew of background shout-outs that make it seem like the band was having some genuine fun in the studio. "Everyone is Totally Insane" is a classically tripped-out Dandy Warhols song that would be right at home on the band's previous records, as would the lively "Down Like Disco." Another cool tune is the all-too-short "The New Country," a cheerful country ditty that seemed to be written for the band's amusement but perhaps should have been explored further. The Dandy's adapt well to country sounds, and maybe a newfound plunge into that focused direction would be a beneficial and welcome update to the band's sound. And though I can appreciate the steadily drugged-out, tipsy sound heard on such tunes as "Easy" and "Hold Me Up," the well-known aura comes off as a little joylessly forced this time around, for whatever reason. Perhaps all the best Dandy Warhols songs have already been featured in car commercials at this point. In any case, despite some slip-ups on "Odditorium," this is still a great band that will hopefully be back with another great CD at some point.



4. On their earliest albums, the Dandys demonstrated that they could do two things really well: write insanely catchy, hook-filled, 3-minute rock/pop songs [eg, "As Cool as Kim Deal"], and do very long, atmospheric, repetitive, 10-minute minimalist jams ["Pete International Airport."] A lot of people seem to have first noticed the Dandys with "13 Tales" and "Monkey House," in which they seemed to be consciously making their bid for rock super-stardom by dropping the long songs and focusing on the short pop things.
   
   Here, the Dandys seem to take a step back and a step forward at the same time. They try to take everything they've learned about making music over the last 10 years, and re-apply it to what they did in the beginning: combining short, hook-filled pop with more challenging and difficult soundscapes. The result is mixed, but really interesting. There are songs on this CD that I am totally crazy about and can't stop listening to: "Easy" for example: even though I can't understand a word that he's saying, the groove and the progression of the song are just irresistable. Then there are some OK "hit singles," like "All the Money or the Simple Life Honey." There is some great melancholia -- "Everyone is Totally Insane" and "Holding Me Up" are both great songs that happen to be somewhat grim. And I actually like "Love is the New Feel Awful."
   
   Then there is a lot of stuff that does not do anything for me. I don't listen to "Smoke it" or "The New Country or "Down Like Disco."
   
   Even though every single song on this CD is not a success, there really is some great music here, and I can't wait to hear what the Dandys do next.



5. The Dandy Warhols' album, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars, is a release where the band throws everything at the wall to see what will stick. Sporting a very over the top production, the band writes songs in a variety of genres and the band clearly wear their influences on their sleeve. Listening to the album as a whole is quite a challenge as you'll dig one song and the next one will come on and you'll be saying, "What is this?" However, if you cut out the fat, most notably several minutes off the two longest tracks, this is a pretty good album. When the band stay in their element on the catchy "Down Like Disco", the rave-up "The New Country", the dreamlike "Everyone Is Totally Insane", or the killer rocker "Smoke It", they shine like the sun. And even though tunes like "Holding Me Up" and "Easy" are a little long, there are enough hooks to keep them interesting. Even the short little ditty, "Did You Make a Song with Otis", is pretty cool. Where the album slips is when they attempt to write a bombastic epic. "Love is the New Feel Awful" starts out as a cool pop song but becomes very repetitive and that goes double for the closer "A Loan Tonight", which drags on for 12 excruciating minutes. Also worth noting is that "There Is Only This Time" sounds way too much like Pink Floyd. All told, the highs clearly outweigh the lows on Odditorium or Warlords of Mars and it's worth checking out.

5 comments about Anthology 74-85.

1. This incarnation of Utopia is no where close to his original band. The keyboard players really added to Todd's ablities and seemed to enhance his creativity Moogy Klingman, check out Utopia Live or Utopia with Freak Parade, The Ikon etc.



2. ANTHOLOGY 1974-1985 is a great collection of the finest moments by Todd Rundgren's band Utopia, and really the only CD by the band that you really need. It features all of the essential cuts and then some, which is great, as Rundgren was fairly inconsistent both on his own and with Utopia. Here, his work as a bandleader is distilled into one great single-disc set.



3. I have seen Todd Rundren in concert. It's a good show and well worth the price to see.
   
   Todd scored his big commercial success with Something/Anything. Then he got started with Utopia.
   
   Utopia made an excellent progressive rock album, "RA". That was a minor hit record for the group and was just in time to take advantage of the mini-hobbit craze of the late 1970s. In the terms of the time it was called "head" music and lived 100% up to the title. I had a lot of good times jamming to RA.
   
   This CD, Anthology, has music from all of Utopia's albums. Some of it is very good, such as the tune "Set me free" from Adventures in Utopia. The only great song is "Mountaintop and Sunrise/Communion with the Sun", off the album RA. Here is where your heart sort of breaks. When Utopia decided to be musical and great it was on the cutting edge of rock. Todd and his group was setting the standard. But on other parts of the album Utopia sounds like a garage band version of the Beetles. I never quite liked the band from Britian much in the first place and it's not fun to listen to Utopia simulate the sound of the fab four.
   
   Looking back on it I would have enjoyed just spending the money on RA and Adventures in Utopia, both are what I consider to be Utopia's best albums.
   
   So, is this CD worth it? Yes, if you get it on discount it's not bad. Is this CD worth it at full price? No. Sorry, it's not that good when you add in Utopia's simulations of the Beetles.
   
   If Utopia had been managed a little better they could have put out some really cutting edge progressive rock and fun pop. Yes, pop music isn't progressive, but it's fun. And when you're working it's nice just to have something fun to listen to.
   
   This is a three star CD, a grade C. Pay a discount price and you'll be happy. For the full price of the CD you can buy both "RA" and "Adventures in Utopia", the two best albums by Utopia.
   
   Want to know how good Utopia and Todd were? Hall & Oats would have been nothing with out Todd's producing of their albums. England Dan and John Ford Colley (sp?) owe their best hit "Love is the answer" to Utopia. Todd and Utopia were great.
   
   Utopia could have been a contender.
   
   And that is why I gave this album three stars, a C grade.



4. This is the second best place to start for Todd Rundgren/Utopia
   collectors, the first being Todd's own 2-CD Anthology.
   
   It has Utopia's essential hits and some of the better album
   tracks to satisfy most casual listeners.
   
   But for those who'd want to dig deeper(or already have,
   like me), it's still enough to whet your appetite.
   
   Even though Utopia ended up being more or less a part-
   time band compared to Todd's work, there's still a lot
   of good material here.
   
   The tracks I like best are 'Crybaby,' 'Love In Action,'
   'Set Me Free,' 'Love Is The Answer,' the 2-part 'Overture',
   and 'Freedom Fighters.'



5. This album features highlight from all ten of Utopia's album. It's pretty much a mixed bag. Utopia didn't really have a consistant sound from album to album. They went from prog rock to pop rock to Beatles parody to several points in between. Some of it I enjoyed, some of it I didn't. And that's about all I have to say about that.

3 comments about Absolute Rollers: B.O..

1. Thank you so much - had a wonderful time going down memory lane, through the mid-seventies, and was able to share with my children some of the music that I listened to when I was thier age!



2. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed listening to the Bay City Rollers 30 years ago. Definitely enjoying listening to them again. Great memories of my teenage years. Highly recommended.



3. It's been years since my sisters and I sat on the floor and listened to all the Bay City Roller songs over and over and over. Sometimes singing along, other times dreaming they were right in our homes or in our arms. Fabulous, free and exciting days gone by...I no longer own a record player and no longer listened to these songs - until I got this CD. UM UM UM back on the ROLLER WHEEL!! I remember all the crazy love I felt about them and their music - Know what? I still feel it....it's great!

5 comments about Close Personal Friend (Bonus CD).

1. This album sounds like a blend of the Cars with the Ramones and a handful of amphetamines on a hot Memphis night. Really.
   
   The bonus c.d., "Memphis Demos", is also stellar. Although virtually all of the music is written by Johnson, his covers of Orbison's Claudette and Elvis' Burning Love are incendiary.



2. I bought this upon release, as it was well reviewed in Rolling Stone. Mostly, this album reminds me of Marshall Crenshaw's first album, not quite as strong song writing from beginning to end, but this relative weakness is shattered by the virtuoso guitar work (His runs are just so fast, supple and right, yet never overly sweet.). And, if you are gonna rip of Bobby Fuller, do it the right way as in Wreck My Mind. Don't know if this CD will sound as good as my British import vinyl, but there are the bonus tracks. Recommended without any reservation.



3. is a great song - I had this on vinyl way back when. Glad to find it here & for free, too . . .



4. Robert Johnson (not the blues guy...lol) is a master of power pop and now the CD is out for the world to discover!
   Great urgent vocals with master guitar licks.
   This CD should come with a warning "PLEASE BE SEATED AS THIS CD WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY"
   ***** stars
   Dave The Boogie Man



5. This album was relatively overlooked in the new wave craze of the last '70s, and while not necessarily strong from beginning to end, it ranges from the pleasant to the really good, and includes, if nothing else, a genuine lost classic: the song "Leslie." Really really worth the 89 cents it'll take to grab it here.

5 comments about BUDOKAN!(30th Anniversary DVD+3CDs).

1. After reading most of the reviews here I was hesitant to buy this CD/DVD but I had to take a chance just to see the DVD. I'm so glad I did! The packaging was very cool and the CD's and DVD had no scratches at all.
   
   What amazed me the most was how good the DVD is! Being old and from a Japanese TV show I thought it would be more grainy and poor sounding. It's not. I can't believe how awesome it is.
   
   If your a fan at all you must buy this 30th Anniversary Package.



2. I was really sorry to hear all the problems others were having with this box set and was hesitant to buy it. So instead of getting it from Amazon I went to a local bookstore and got it there. I figured it was much easier to drive 10 mins. to return it instead of boxing it up and waiting for a refund. I must be one of the lucky ones as the disks are all perfect with no scratches. However I can see how they could be easily damaged and agree the packaging could have been done much better. Now, having said that, I think it's one of the best box sets I have bought in a long time. This is truly a classic and belongs in every music lovers collection. With the exception of Queen's Live at Wembley, I have never seen a band so tight in a live performance. The boys were right on that night and feeding off the energy from the crowd. It's a real treat to be able to see the show and the CD's are equally enjoyable. I also liked the book that came along with it. It was fun to read how the guys reacted to their sudden rise to rock god status and some of the close calls they had with the adoring fans who literally want a piece of them. The poster is nice too, but I think I'll just keep that in the box. All in all I think this is worth the price and it's a very nice bit of music history. If you are worried about getting a damanged copy, then I would buy it locally as it's easier to return that way, but really worth getting it!



3. i waited about a year to buy this at a more reasonable price. i paid $20.
   
   this would be a 5 star set, but i knocked off one star because of the faulty packaging where the cardboard slots for the 4 discs did leave a friction line on the discs, but luckily my discs played thru. i've put my discs in cd sleeves with cut corners & loosely stuck them back in the slots to prevent further wear. however, the box & booklet are really nice looking.
   
   the dvd itself is spectacular. the video & sound is excellent given the age of the source material. it's great to have a video image now to go with these familiar tracks.
   
   the bonus disc 2 cd of the alternate Friday show is an added plus. it's great to have an alternate version of the beloved original concert. makes it fresh again & it's fun to hear the differences.
   
   the 2 discs of the Complete Concert is the same remaster as the 1998 remaster. it's the same date listed in the booklet & by my ear too, it sounds the same.
   
   all in all, a most enjoyable set. would have been 5 stars if it held the discs better & a lower list price given the redundancy of 2 of the discs.



4. I read the reviews and decided to take a chance anyway...but the discs are scratched.



5. This DVD/CD set is over priced, first of all, considering that the original record came out in 1978, even though it didn't contain the complete concert. Also, the film footage, is not filmed all that well. The CD's are the best part, because they sound better, and contain the complete concert. Also, the packaging is bad, it damaged my discs as well.