5 comments about Sunshine Lies.

1. Sunshine Lies could easily fit between Girlfriend and Altered Beast as a secret mail away album. Sweet has been flying under the radar for couple of years by collaborating with others and not strictly releasing his own songwriting. Not much has changed with his sound either; it's like the grunge movement and everything that came after has never happened.
   
   This album is simple guitar pop and bubblegum rock. The musicianship is really quite good, as Sweet has used his long-time sidemen Richard Lloyd (Television), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids), Greg Leisz (Beck, Bill Frisell), Ric Menck (Velvet Crush), and a guest vocal by Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles). The album does have a few missteps, such as "Let's Love" and the Tom Pettyisms of "Burn Through Love". Just as the Girlfriend album didn't follow any guitar trends, this one follows suit and it makes me happier for that reason.



2. Because it is by Matthew Sweet, and perhaps because many fans of his disagree as to what his best two Lps are, this set already has a contentious reception, and even some shrugs. But if this album had been released by a mystery band in 1972, it would now be spoken of in the same sentence as the great double Lps of the late 60s. I tend to like all of his records, and "Sunshine Lies" runs the gamut from his tougher "dinosaur act" stuff to the gentler tones of his Lloyd-less records like "Mars." "Sunshine Lies" has some remarkable songs, including the title cut and "Byrdgirl" and "Let's Love." (The set is all strong, but side two of the vinyl version is brilliant.) It has a lovely sense of melody, a wild and sweet variety of guitar sounds, and many songs that combine a fascinating sense of craft, a feeling spontaneous necessity, and rock-poetry reminiscent of masters of desire and understatement like Lennon and Berry.



3. A rock solid return to form for Mr. Sweet. I've been a big fan from the beginning. I will admit to being a little disapointed with the last two disc. Sunshine Lies grabbed me instantly with great lyrics, melodies, and numerous heavy guitar riffs. Matthew is in great voice throughout. Sweet's high vocal range is countered again by the tangled, jagged soloing of Richard Loyd and Ivan Julian. I caught the band live 2 weeks ago. Excellent show. The new stuff played well along side the classics. (Ric Menck is the coolist drummer.)
   
   Fall Out Boy? All American Rejects? Etc.. Please. Matthew Sweet is back. Buy this record.



4. As rabid fan of the big 3, I've liked the most recent CDs fine. I liked this one quite a bit too the first weeks I had it. Something happened though, at the GAMH show in SF: Great band + Hot groovy fun, and suddenly I could properly hear Sunshine Lies, even the tracks he didn't play that night. Somehow the key to the puzzle was transmitted to me--by means of feedback, I'm guessing...the mechanism is unclear.
   
   This is an extreme set of songs, seriously over-the-top as both ear candy and lyric sincerity. I think the step required to access Sunshine Lies is awakening the silly 16 year old rocker within, so play it LOUD. Delivering rueful musings of experience wrapped in these shimmery Pet-Sounds-kind of pop gloss produces a dissonance that works for me. Sunshine Lies asserts sweet optimism even after all that young rocker has seen and done, a neat trick.
   
   (I Need A) Room to Rock In is our new house motto. And Back of My Mind is the best album-ender since Party Girl.
   
   Thanks, Matthew!! I needed that.



5. He did it again!In the great songwriting vein of The Byrds,Beatles,Big Star...i.e. songs with singalong choruses,harmonies,melodies,chunky guitar solos,all wrapped up in a shimmering and vibrant and punchy style,man it just rocks and flows and my 19 month old daughter Daisy just LURVES ''Lets Love''!!!!!Terrific!!

5 comments about Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits Of The '80s, Vol. 4.

1. With Volume 4 of the Just Can't Get Enough series Rhino really got their act together. Leading off with Devo's greatest non-hit ever "Freedom Of Choice", this disc rarely lets up and only occasionally stumbles. The Boomtown Rats "Up All Night", doomed Phil Seymour's "Precious To Me", and the Translators "Everywhere That I'm Not" all make for legitimate reasons to buy this disc, but the two killers are The Members early MTV staple "Working Girl" and The Monroes "What Do All The People Know". Try finding THOSE somewhere else. One other great song that could have been a huge plus to this collection was The Kings "Switchin' To Glide/This Beat Goes On" but THEY CUT HALF OF IT OFF!!! Whose idea was that? No matter. Search under The Kings on Amazon for the debut album and hear it like it was meant to be heard.
   The stumble? The God-awful "Tainted Love" which has been known to cause loose stools in laboratory mice. Avoid at all costs.



2. I'm busy collecting this terrific series by Rhino. Volume Four is the fifth CD in the series I've added to my collection and is so far the best. Everything you associate with the new Wave era of the 1980s is here. Generals and Majors by XTC captures the Cold War doom and gloom of the Reagan years (those years seem rather innocent now). Love and Lonliness by the Motors gives you synth pop at its best. Solid New Wave sound can be found in the Kings Switchin' to Glide and the Undertones It's Going to Happen. I really like Workin Girl by the Members and What Do All the People Know by the Monroes. Also represented are Devo with Freedom of Choice and Soft Cell's Tainted Love (Both of TV commercial fame). The twelve cuts here really show the range of New Wave music. Some of it is lighthearted and meant for fun while others take things quite seriously. I look forward to completing the set, but doubt any of the others will match this one!



3. hi i'm helen from greece



4. This CD is a pretty good compilation of hits from the era of new wave. I must agree with prior reviewers that this does seem to be the only way to get The Monroes "What Do All the People Know". It is a shame that this compilation only includes the second part of The Kings song "Switchin' to Glide", failing to include the first part of this song the "Beat Goes On" is a large disappointment. This oversight is what led me to only rank this CD as four stars. On the positive side, even though most of these songs are available elsewhere, this CD is a quick way to acquire a number of great tunes without doing a long search. Such tunes as "Working Girl", "Tainted Love", and "Generals and Majors" make this CD a must have for the fan of new wave.



5. Fairly typical mix of 80's new wave stuff and one-hit wonders, but this album's one saving grace is the inclusion of the lost classic "What Do All The People Know" by the Monroes. This song is one of the all-time greats, even if it is ever so slightly edited here. Another compilation contained the song, but this CD seems to be the only one still available. So snap it up, Monroes fans!

5 comments about Cypress/Afoot.

1. catchy indie nerd pop from the mid-80's. yeah, so it never caught on and yeah, so mitch easter produced a lot of great music. still, that's no reason to fall all over oneself singing hosannas about these albums/this cd. it's melodic and enjoyable, but ultimately a little forgettable. not sure why all the fanboyism with all these user reviews. maybe 40+ people fondly remembering their college years in the early 80's, or maybe people just love an underdog. who knows.
   
   anyway, if you never heard this band 20+ years ago and aren't a huge fan of nerdy white college rock from the 80's, i would venture to say you'll be underwhelmed. it's not like this is the beatles or the kinks.



2. Get it, Get it, Get it, Get it! There is no chance what so ever you won't love it. Just as much as a classic in 2008 as the early 1980's



3. that you will discover them very soon - buy this disc! Seriously, I had vinyl of both of these releases in college and as CD's took over replaced my vinyl with this. It's pure psychedelic power pop done right, combining sing along hook happy elements of the Beatles, ethereal layered guitar work with background electronics that really put it "out there". Front man Mitch Easter of course played a hand in putting REM at the forefront of college radio and it's unfortunate that his excellent work with Let's Active never really made it into the mainstream consciousness. Those who have heard it know. Buy this, love it, and then move on to Big Plans for Everybody.



4. If heaven is going to have a "pop" soundtrack playing at all times, then my friends, this is THE CD that should fit the bill. It is about as irresistable and satisfying as a pure pop album can be, with plenty of goodies and surprises in store for all pop and rock fans. Why this band didn't become a household name in the 80's will forever be a mystery and a big mistake. Simply put, it doesn't get any better than this. I would highly encourage music lovers in general to purchase this CD. You absolutely, positively can not go wrong. Your money will be well invested.



5. This is great news for me that these are available on CD now.
   Having thrown away all my cassette tapes over 15 years ago, this is THE one I could not dream of losing. Mitch Easter is an incredible song writer/musician. It's too bad we have not had more access to his work.

5 comments about The Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones.

1. I was familiar with a little of Dramaramas music but not all their CDs. This is a great complilation of songs. I liked everyone.



2. This band was huge in LA but not many other places- but every song on here is a classic! It's time for a Dramarama revival- they were the best band of 80's. If you remember those days, pick up this CD!



3. I don't own this greatest hits album, yet I feel that I can assign it the 5 starts it surely deserves... As others have mentioned here, I first heard Dramarama on the Rodney on the ROQ radio show on KROQ, in LA, in the late eighties. (That was the best show, and I miss Rodney!) Anyway, I grew from childhood into adulthood with this band. I saw them play live 7 times - amazing. I met them once at the Edge in Palo Alto when I was college, and they game me and my friends free tickets to see them the following night at Slim's in San Francisco - how cool. So the other night, I was searching online to see if the new episode of The Office was available for download yet, and my search term was simply "office". Among the results was "Box Office Bomb" - Dramarama's second album. I clicked on it, knowing that I already owned it, and then checked my CD shelf - I lost this album years ago, and actually had forgotten about all the good songs on it. I bought another copy and realized I still remember all the lyrics. If you don't have this one, get it. I just needed to share this, as I've been listening to it all week, and it's really made me realize that this was one of the best bands ever. Oh yeah - here's what I originally meant to tell everyone. If you like Dramarama, be sure to pick up the Bent Backed Tuplis album "Lookingthrough" - the "Bent Backed Tulips" are in fact Dramarama's answer to a record label who would not let them release certain material as "Dramarama". It's them, and it's really good. I just saw a few used copies here on Amazon, so hop to it!



4. I bought this album soleley for "Anything, Anything." I heard it on the radio and thought, 'wow, a new band. They must be awesome.' And to my surprise, it was at least a decade old. I'd never heard any of these songs before and at first I wasn't really feeling it because they weren't as upbeat as "Anything, Anything." But as I kept listening, I began getting all kinds of fantastic riffs and hooks stuck in my head for days. And then you start listening to all the lyrics, and you think, 'wow, they're really clever. And soon you become addicted to this album. I mean, you could eat, sleep, breathe this album, it's that good. 7 Minutes (More or Less) is hands down my favorite, because it's always some obscure song at the end of the album that becomes near and dear. Even if you've never heard of this band, don't recognize any of their songs, maybe only like 1 or 2 of them even, just buy it. It's one of those fantastic CDs that only has room to grow on you until eventually you're ranting and raving over how incredible their music is and how you can't get enough and you're trying to persuade perfect strangers that this is one of the greatest bands ever, upset because no one's heard of them and they should have.



5. I am ready to give my wife away to anyone who can bring this band in my city for a gig.
   My favorite band of all time.

1 comments about Extended Versions.

1. This is a Christmas present for my brother so I have not had a chance to listen to this. I'm a Greg Kihn fan and I'm impressed with the play list and can't wait to hear it. I was really impressed at the great value. I'm on a tough budget this year and this is what my brother has been wanting for a long time. This was a fast delivery and well packaged. That means a lot to me and I'm very pleased.

3 comments about 867-5309/Jenny.

1. A perfectly adequate specimen of '80s pop, but destined to be forgotten -- until Stewie, the James-Bond-supervillain in a baby's body, cemented it into immortality.
   
   Stealing every scene of *Family Guy* he's ever in, as always, Stewie picked up the kitchen phone, tried to tap in a half-remembered number that came out "8-6-7-5-3-0-9," realized what he had done, and hung up the phone in frustration, crying, "Damn you, Tommy Tutone!"



2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE 867-5309, so much so that I learned how to play it on guitar....what an infectious song. I like a few others too, but that, to me, is the quintessential 80's song for me....along w/ the police and U2, of course.



3. OK, you remember the big hit - "867-5309/Jenny" - and you want it in your collection. Now you must choose. Do you get this budget priced compilation, with 10 songs, or do you spend almost twice as much money for "Tommy Tutone/Tommy Tutone 2", which will give you 22 songs?
   
   The other reviewer of this collection chose to save a few bucks and go with the 10 songs, and obviously he's happy with his choice. But I'd like to take this opportunity to urge you to spend a little more and get the other CD instead. Otherwise you'll miss out on fine songs such as "Angel Say No", "Shadow On The Road Ahead", "Why Baby Why", and "Steal Away".
   
   No matter which way you go, you're going to end up with songs only from Tommy Tutone's first 2 albums. Which is fine, their career was short, and album 3 was pretty weak anyway. (Two later CDs surfaced after a long break, with only one of the original band members participating.) If you get this collection, you'll get 5 songs from each of the two albums, if you get the other CD you'll get the 2 albums in their entirety.
   
   If you're a fan of the power pop genre or of Tommy Tutone in particular, spend the extra money, it's well worth it. If you just want the hit, then get this one. If you're afraid that Tommy Tutone might not have had enough good songs to make it worth getting either one, fear not. They had plenty of good songs.

5 comments about Elva.

1. This CD is terrific - it has a great mix of music, wonderful lyrics (hearing 'Seeing Red' still tears me up at times), and hasn't left my vehicle since it was released (in other words, I still listen to it nearly every day :p ).



2. This album by Unwritten Law really won me over. The opening track 'Mean Girl' pulls you straight in. Scott uses many different techniques vocally to keep the audience interested. Some acoustic tracks and heavier tracks in there; depends on what kind of music you like.
   1.Mean Girl - great hook and instrumental arrangement. Grinspoon like feel to it.
   
   2.Up All Night - Cool rock feel to this song with a catchy chorus.
   
   3.Sound Siren - More of a pop punk feel to it. My favourite track of the CD.
   
   4.How You Feel - Lighter reggae type track. Keeps you interested with a slower, softer pace.
   
   5.Blame It On Me - Gets you back into the heavier rock pace. Cool song.
   
   6.Seein' Red - Cool song, slower paced again with a catchy chorus.
   
   7.Nick and Phil - Answering machine message from Nick Enright and Phil Jamieson from Grinspoon.
   
   8.Hellborn - Another heavier rock type track.
   
   9.Geronimo - Great track on the CD, really keeps you interested in it. This songs a killer.
   
   10.Rescue Me - Another rock track with a slight ska beat behind it. Cool vocal effects.
   
   11.Actress, Model... - Another killer on the CD, quite pop punk again but keeps you very interested.
   
   12.Raleigh, Pt.5 - Cool to listen to stoned, weird filler.
   
   13.Babalon - Great rock feel to it, with chunky guitar sounds.
   
   14.Raleigh, Pt.6 - Bizarre.
   
   15.Rest Of My Life - Cool soft acoustic track.
   
   16.Elva - Phil from Grinspoon helped to write this track. Great feel to it.
   
   17.Evolution - Awesome way to end the CD, great finisher. After the track is over keep listening because at the end there is a hidden answering machine message from Tom DeLonge.
   
   Great CD, 4 stars.



3. The first 2 tracks on this CD ["Mean Girl" & Up All Night] pretty much say it all about this Unwritten Law disc. "Mean girl" starts out slow then evolves into a fast hardcore punk sounding song--it's great. Then, up all night does almost the reverse of "Mean Girl" by starting fast and slowing down--its fantastic.
   Alongside the 'hits' like "Seein' Red" and the acoustic "Rest of My Life" this CD is a must for fans of punk [i think that's what you'd classify this under]. They sort of remind me of BRAND NEW but a little more heavier with the guitars at times.
   Just good listening.



4. An amazing record! No kidding one of the best discs I've heard in a while. Kinda of a cross between Non Point and Weezer, with a new sound at's it's core. 5 stars for sure! But avoid "Here to the mourning"...



5. Unwitten Law is a lot different than a most bands out there. They have there own style and different types of songs that fit every mood you could posibly be in. Some are slow and acoustic and have a soft sound to them (Rest of My Life, Elva). Some songs are really fast and upbeat (Up All Night, Blame it On Me, Hellborn). Also some songs are just the right pace (Seein' Red, How You Feel, Rescue Me). But whatever music your feeling at the moment, there is something on this CD. I like pretty much every song on this album but my top 5 hav to be..
   
   1. Rest of My Life
   2. Elva
   3. Seein' Red
   4. Rescue Me
   5. Up All Night

5 comments about Marshall Crenshaw.

1. in the 80's I had this CD on vinyl and Marshall Crenshaw is a very underrated singer. You just can't help but sing along and dance around. If you like Buddy Holly, the Beatles, etc. you'd like this CD.



2. Marshall Crenshaw's self titled album was nothing like it for the time. As a fan of older music, I really enjoyed this album for many reasons. First, in a synthesizer-happy era, Crenshaw said no way and stay to the basics of rock and played it strait - this is why the album holds so well some 25 years later.
   He was obviously influenced heavily by Buddy Holly which comes out not only in his sound but his looks yet it works. Unfortunatley in this modern era of corporate rock, Crenshaw is lost. If if wasn't for a soundtrack I ran across, I would have never heard "Someday Someway" which lead me to this album. This is truly a feel good album with solid rifs and has well written, produced, and performed music. Give it a chance!



3. The word "perfection" keeps popping up in the reviews for this CD, and I have to agree. The first time I heard of the album was when it was first released in the summer of '82. I was in the mall, at the Record Bar, and they were playing it. "Cynical Girl" was playing, and they had the album cover propped up on display. I was hooked immediately, but when I heard "Someday, Someway" a few days later on the radio and remembered the artist's name, I said No, I gotta get this. I remember buying it on a Saturday and putting it on while I cleaned my apartment. Blown away. I couldn't believe how perfect this album was. Not a single song that could be classified as filler. It ranks as one of my all-time favorite overall albums, and my absolute favorite from the '80s. This and Diana Ross's 1980 Chic-produced album are the only two LPs from that period that I could listen to from beginning to end and find nothing but damn good music. I'm glad young people are discovering Marshall Crenshaw. A true pop wonder.



4. This record is an absolute gem, and a MUST HAVE for anyone who loves pop music. I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard the wonderful strains of Marshall Crenshaw's marvellously crafted music. I became a fan that day, and I've been one ever since. Every song is great and I can honestly say that I never get tired of listening to the wonderful tunes on this recording.



5. This album was my intro to the talented Mr. Crenshaw and I've been a fan for 26 years now. Very upbeat tempo pop rock that gets you singing along and tapping your feet. A great start to a long and distinguished career.

5 comments about Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill.

1. The exhibitor was describing that it is a "Like New".
   But I was surprised because the commodity arrived.
   In this CD, there were a lot of detailed wounds, and a similar new article was not at all the one that was able to be said.
   There are several skips, too and I am a betrayed .



2. Early last Sunday evening, I was stuck on the FDR when I heard explosions behind me. I spun the rear view mirror to see a gorgeous display of fireworks as I crawled one car length at a time towards the Brooklyn Bridge. It was at that point my all-shuffling iPod dropped John Zorn's interpretation "Der Kleine Leutnant des Lieben Gottes" into the car stereo. For five minutes of invention and anarchy, Zorn & Co. lit up my view of Long Island brighter than I don't know how many tons of explosives could. Hopefully, it will be many such moments of sublime and esoteric beauty that this record will bring into your life.



3. Believe in me, ear this cd, the musics and the words are superior! MUST HAVE!!!



4. If your idea of Weill is the Doors doing "Alabama Song," this is the perfect place to expand your knowledge. Sting's performance of that song is the weakest performance here. Marianne Faithfull's interpretation of 'Ballad Of The Soldier's Wife' is one of her best performances and really captures the pathos of the song, and Tom Waits is great on 'What Keeps Mankind Alive?' For me, a dream project would be a whole CD of the two of them doing Weill.
   
   Just to prove that Weill has a softer side, Lou Reed does the ballad 'September Song'
   
   That tells you what kind of disc this is! Lou Reed does the 'soft' pretty music.
   
   Because this is a Hal Willner production, and because Willner doesn't want to get too close to the mainstream, this album is more challenging and complex than the later, similar disc from 1997. He produced that one, too, as a soundtrack for a film on Weill's music. That soundtrack is called 'September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill' and as the title says, it features songs. In fact, many of the same songs are found on both albums. 'Lost in the Stars' features more instrumentals and includes both jazz and classical performances. The result is sometimes a little jarring, but that is very much in keeping with Weill.



5. If you're not a theater-phile, you might not be aware of Bertolt Brecht's work; however, his musical muse, Kurt Weill, has inspired musicians from all areas of music - the most recent example is the resurgence of cabaret music led by the Dresden Dolls. This is an amazing compilation produced by the same man who last year brought us the music of pirate shanties called "Rogues Gallery". Sting (before he did his own stage version of Three Penny Opera) singing Mack the Knife, Lou Reed singing September Song, Marianne Faithful, Chris Spedding, Aaron Neville- even Weill's beloved Lotte Lenya, they're all here. Its a great pop-y update of this timeless music. Sometimes difficult to get a hold of, I've gone through the cassette, album and now finally have the cd...enjoy

5 comments about The Best Of Badfinger.

1. Badfinger was one of the most perplexing bands of the early 1970's. Anointed by The Beatles themselves as one of the first projects for Apple Records (along with James Taylor, Mary Hopkins and Billy Preston), and adopted by Paul McCartney (who slipped them their first hit single, 'Come and Get It' in February of 1970) and George Harrison, who employed them as a back-up band for the monumental 'Concert For Bangladesh' in 1972, Badfinger were either red hot or bland and mediocre throughout their brief tenure. This CD summarizes it all.

   Badfinger started out as The Iveys in 1969 and nailed a #67 single with 'Maybe Tomorrow', a quaint song which anyone unfamiliar with the band is unlikely to recall. After some personnel changes, and a name change, the band achieved overnight stardom with the completely McCartneyesque 'Come and Get It', from 'The Magic Christian' soundtrack the following year. Later that same year the band released one of their three most defining tunes, 'No Matter What', which rose to number 8 on the national charts.

   In 1971 Badfinger scored their biggest hit when 'Day After Day' rose to number 4. In the following year the band rode the fuzzy power-pop guitar sounds of 'Baby Blue' to number 14, and their hitmaking days were over, but these great songs etched their immortal legacy in rock. All of these aforementioned numbers are included on this disc, and constitute a quintet of exemplary songs that in themselves justify the purchase price of the disc.

   There are two other recordings of note on 'Come and Get It: The Best of Badfinger'. The first is the original recording of 'Without You', penned by bandmates Tom Evans and Pete Ham and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in 1970. In 1972 Harry Nillson covered the song, turning it into a hit single. The Nillson version is of course more familiar, and in my opinion better than the Badfinger rendering, which is nonetheless a pleasant listen. The other is a blistering rock number from the band's 'Magic Christian Music' disc called 'Rock of All Ages'. With the capacity to rock out like this, it is easy to see why Badfinger fans frequently proclaim the band had it in 'em, and difficult to see why Badfinger so frequently opted for the safer confines of power-pop.

   The remainder of the disc is schlock-pop. The compositions and performances are neither memorable or offensive... perhaps a little better than filler, but not much. So about a third of the disc is remarkable, the other two-thirds replaceable. In fact, the best thing about the disc aside from the 7 remarkable tunes is the great apple logo, which looks just as sweet on a CD as it did on vinyl discs when The Beatles first used it back in the 1960's.




2. If it looks like an Apple, smells like an Apple, and tastes like an Apple, then it must be an Apple. Badfinger's close relationship with the Beatles resulted in both the group's popularity, and its demise. While many post-Beatles groups (Searchers, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Dave Clark Five) attempted to ride the wave of Beatlemania by incorporating Beatle-like influences into their music, Badfinger occupied a front row seat in the Hall of Beatle Music; that is, they recorded in Apple Studios often with members of the Fab Four present. With such a close physical proximately to the Beatles, Badfinger couldn't help but sound like their masters. No problem here: plenty of Beatle sound-a-likes were successful in both Britain and the United States (Zombies, Small Faces, Peter & Gordon). While music fans have an insatiable appetite for the "next" Beatles, I believe that they rejected the "validity" of Badfinger: are we listening to the original work of Badfinger, or are we listening to the Beatles II who have been promoted and spoon-fed by the Beatles I?

   "The Best Of Badfinger" is an equitable representation of Badfinger's Apple library: it includes several memorable "we ain't the Beatles" compositions, a handful of inspired Beatle sound-a-likes, but also quite a few pedestrian tracks.

   For straight-up rock & roll, Badfinger is less than inspiring (Rock Of Ages, Better Days). Where Badfinger shines is in the genres of Power Pop and whimsical ditties. "Carry On Till Tomorrow," "No Matter What" and "Baby Blue" are essential examples of Power Pop for other bands (Raspberries, Big Star, Records, Shoes) to follow. They include alluring melodies, rhythmic guitar work and bombastic drums. On the lighter side are compositions such as "Without You" and "Maybe Tomorrow:" unadulterated ear candy. When I first heard "Maybe Tomorrow," I wasn't thinking of the Beatles, but I believed that the song was by Tin Tin (there's one for Beatles trivia buffs). "Maybe Tomorrow" rates high on my list of Top-10 cotton candy fluff (I use the term with admiration). The song has a lovely melody and gorgeous string arrangement, and the soulful dead-on Steve Marriott (Small Faces) vocal break near the end is rousing. Overall, Badfinger has its moments, and "The Best Of Badfinger" does also. Well worth the price of admission.

   Technical Notes: The CD weighs in at a hefty seventy-minutes, and demonstrates that Apple is a state-of-the-art analog recording studio. Pristine sonics include the jangling acoustic guitars on "Carry On Till Tomorrow" and "Day After Day," and the close-miked vocals on "Carry On Till Tomorrow."




3. If it looks like an Apple, smells like an Apple, and tastes like an Apple, then it must be an Apple. Badfinger's close relationship with the Beatles resulted in both the group's popularity, and its demise. While many post-Beatles groups (Searchers, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Dave Clark Five) attempted to ride the wave of Beatlemania by incorporating Beatle-like influences into their music, Badfinger occupied a front row seat in the Hall of Beatle Music; that is, they recorded in Apple Studios often with members of the Fab Four present. With such a close physical proximately to the Beatles, Badfinger couldn't help but sound like their masters. No problem here: plenty of Beatle sound-a-likes were successful in both Britain and the United States (Zombies, Small Faces, Peter & Gordon). While music fans have an insatiable appetite for the "next" Beatles, I believe that they rejected the "validity" of Badfinger: are we listening to the original work of Badfinger, or are we listening to the Beatles II who have been promoted and spoon-fed by the Beatles I?

   "The Best Of Badfinger" is an equitable representation of Badfinger's Apple library: it includes several memorable "we ain't the Beatles" compositions, a handful of inspired Beatle sound-a-likes, but also quite a few pedestrian tracks.

   For straight-up rock & roll, Badfinger is less than inspiring (Rock Of Ages, Better Days). Where Badfinger shines is in the genres of Power Pop and whimsical ditties. "Carry On Till Tomorrow," "No Matter What" and "Baby Blue" are essential examples of Power Pop for other bands (Raspberries, Big Star, Records, Shoes) to follow. They include alluring melodies, rhythmic guitar work and bombastic drums. On the lighter side are compositions such as "Without You" and "Maybe Tomorrow:" unadulterated ear candy. When I first heard "Maybe Tomorrow," I wasn't thinking of the Beatles, but I believed that the song was by Tin Tin (there's one for Beatles trivia buffs). "Maybe Tomorrow" rates high on my list of Top-10 cotton candy fluff (I use the term with admiration). The song has a lovely melody and gorgeous string arrangement, and the soulful dead-on Steve Marriott (Small Faces) vocal break near the end is rousing. Overall, Badfinger has its moments, and "The Best Of Badfinger" does also. Well worth the price of admission.

   Technical Notes: The CD weighs in at a hefty seventy-minutes, and demonstrates that Apple is a state-of-the-art analog recording studio. Pristine sonics include the jangling acoustic guitars on "Carry On Till Tomorrow" and "Day After Day," and the close-miked vocals on "Carry On Till Tomorrow."




4. The song selections here show only the Iveys/Badfinger up to the time of their departure from Apple. And while fans quibble about which songs were included and how they spotlight each of the members as personalities and performers, something everyone seems to agree on is the lack of punch this "remastering" has. Songs that should leap out of the speakers seem to have had a sonic neutering. A couple of good examples are "Rock of All Ages" and "Baby Blue". On vinyl and tape, these two songs literally scorch the grille cloth and pin the listener against the wall with their rocking power. Now they sound as if they've been mixed for a Muzak system. The depth of sound in ballads like "Name of the Game", "Day After Day" and "When I Say" so vibrant and rich previously has been reduced and compressed making these exceptional songs sound thin and hollow. Even the earlier songs like "Carry On Til Tomorrow" and "Maybe Tomorrow" sounded better with pops and crackles on my old vinyl LPs. This collection, though, was a must have for fans until the newest collection is released on September 12. That collection, even with fewer tracks, spans more of their career and hopefully will give the songs and fans better treatment this time. Tell everyone you know to catch the VH-1 "Behind The Music" segment on Badfinger when it premiers.



5. Badfinger was accused at the beginning of their career of sounding like the Beatles. They aere found by George Harrison and the first song they did was written by Paul McCartney. But, the similarities end there. "Come And Get It" the song written by McCartney, does sound like the Fab Four. But, "No Matter What" "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue" are not that similar to the Beatles. They were a good top 40 band and deserved to have a good compilation. This is it.