5 comments about The Very Best of Elvis Costello.

1. 42 tracks includes most of EC's greatest songs. If you do not own any EC cds start with this one. The old stuff is better but someone this prolific may still produce some gems, this double cd gives you a standard with which to measure the new stuff. Mr Costello has a very tough act to follow.



2. I don't like reviewing music as it's more often than not a matter of taste. "watching the detectives is one of my all time favs. Great reggae rythem and great lyrics" A handful of other songs are ok but it's a 2 CD set and not cheap and boy oh boy do I wish I had just bought the original CD with "W.T.Detectives" The hand full of (small baby hands) will be ripped to PC & the rest can gather dust on a shelf. Yawn!



3. While virtually impossible to come up with a "Best of" collection that will satisfy everyone, this compilation comes about as close as you can get. Pair this up with the 2-disc Armed Forces (E's best...IMO) and you'll be all set for a two hour tour-de-force through the catalog of a true 'Man Out of Time'.



4. The RE-Mastering on this "Best of" is terrible. The sound is blown out and distorted. If SOUND QUALITY is an issue for you then don't buy this album.



5. This I believe is the most complete hits collection of Costello's work to date. It's great in quantity (42 songs), and the selection is almost inarguable...and yet it's still imperfect. The problem with any Elvis compilation is that while he performed perhaps only ten or so truly great songs, there are at least 50 very good ones that could be included in a "best of" set. Why not "Welcome to the Working Week," "My Mood Swings," or even a few more Warner Brothers tracks like "Clown Strike"? They're at least as fun as "My Funny Valentine," a marginal cover of an already exhausted classic.
   
   I do appreciate the arrangement, though. The rolling mood is a nice break from the common chronological order of hits albums. And the older tracks seem to have been cleaned up and equalized well, considering how badly most magnetically recorded stuff sounds 20 years later. For a great selection of Elvis's finest, this is the best to date, though I feel the ultimate collection is down the road when higher density discs can store more data.

5 comments about Become What You Are.

1. Some good tunes and strong vocals. I liked this cd in the 90's and bought it for nostalgia. I still like it.



2. Juliana Hatfield's combination of sweet and sincere lyrics and hard, driving guitar is incredible. Every song on the album is great. "My Sister" is especially heart-felt and catching.



3. Conventional wisdom states that the followup to an artist's debut is lacking when compared to the debut. Usually, that first album consists of songs they've been working on for years, whereas the followup is thrown together in a hurry. Of course, this isn't always the case, particularly with artists emerging from bands.
   
   Case in point: Juliana Hatfield's "Become What You Are".
   
   Performing with a trio of bassist Dean Fisher and drummer Todd Phillips, with herself handling the guitar duties, Hatfield's sophomore effor does something her debut did not. It lets go of the Blake Babies legacy. Sonically, its as indebted to the Pixies as the jangly pop of the Blake Babies-- loud, in-your-face, overdriven guitars and slicing basslines over which Hatfield confidently delivers her lyrics, giving her voice a resonance it lacked on "Hey Babe". But more to the point, it began the legitimization of Juliana Hatfield as a guitar hero-- it seems so long ago, but in 1994, women didn't appear in guitar magazines as anything more than a novelty, but Hatfield was too good to be denied.
   
   This is apparent right from the start, opener "Supermodel" is a slab of punky alternative with a fantastic vocal and clever songwriting. In fact its pretty much this that makes the album what it is, moving from semi-environmentalist jangle pop ("For the Birds") to venomous meditations on homelessness and mental illness-- which in Hatfield's native Boston often go hand-in-hand (moody rumination and album standout "Mabel") to popularity contests (goofy pop song "Spin the Bottle") to Henry Rollins and over sexuality (breezy pop turned heavy alternative monster "President Garfield"). Along the way, there's a dark hit song ("My Sister"), a punk song about gun-toting women ("A Dame With a Rod", which features one of Hatfield's best early guitar solos and a moody closer ("I Got No Idols"). What's fairly incredible is the stunning level of quality on the album-- there's no filler, no stuff clearly pushed by the record company, just all really good material.
   
   This album is really essential listening for any alternative fans, its one of the best of the genre and as many of her peers have received mainstream recognition, Hatfield remains unfairly in a cult status, and its downright depressing that this is out of print. Highly recommended.



4. In 1993, Hatfield's friend and former bandmate, Lemonhead Evan Dando, was flopping about at festivals, wearing dresses and being the NME's darling, and jangly American indie guitar rock was in. And Hatfield was really the only female in her field, so she really shouldn't have found it so hard to break through in the UK at a time when Throwing Muses and Belly were having top 10 albums.

   Unfortunately, the press was a little too preoccupied with Hatfield's proclaimed virginity and relationship with Dando to give the music a proper listen. Shame, because Become What You Are - recorded as the Juliana Hatfield Three with bassist Dean Fisher and drummer Todd Phillips - is a simple and brilliant record that she's yet to match.

   Much has been made of Hatfield rarely going beyond the lines of her stock template. Granted, a cursory or superficial listen to Become What You Are could leave you thinking one song sounds much like another, but the unfussy formula works well enough to warrant many repeated listens. And no song outstays its welcome. Lyrically, she's at her strongest on this set, confessional, witty and on the right side of obscure.

   The opening track, Supermodel, is a catty dig at the transitory careers of overpaid catwalk stars ("the highest paid piece of ass, you know it's not gonna last...), while the girly Hatfield is at play on My Sister, describing the love/hate relationship with a fictional sibling ("I would do anything to let her know I care, but I am only talking to myself cos she isn't there"). Her wry lyrics are matched at every corner with strong hooks and basslines.

   Hatfield's cutesy/tough-girl act continues in equal measures: the deliciously venomous and punchy A Dame With A Rod, on which Hatfield avenges an attack on a woman ("You're gonna rot in the ground"), sits next to the unworldly girl on Feeling Massachussetts ("Take me somewhere I really wanna go... introduce me to someone really cool"). Hatfield does twee best on Spin The Bottle, although it's a bit of a throwaway moment. We should assume Hatfield wasn't taking her own story about kissing movie stars in closets at parties too seriously. It is nevertheless the most commercial cut and, given the right promotional push, could have been a hit, although it's appearance on the Reality Bites soundtrack did give it a new airing.

   Standout track President Garfield - allegedly an ode to rocker Henry Rollins - is almost two songs in one: the first two minutes a slow, contemplative amble down the streets of Washington, the latter half a bass-heavy brooding review of the hero ("Neck like a tyre, iron man...I'm only human, I am weak, I want his power inside of me"). Things get darker still on the closing I Got No Idols, an intense, two-minute lament from a woman eager to stand on her own too feet.

   The album went hugely underbought, of course, and the live reviews didn't do her any favours. Britpop was just around the corner and everyone in the UK momentarily ignored most of what was coming out of the US. Even the Lemonheads, who were actually selling quite a few records at one point, quickly disappeared off the radar.

   For the follow up 18 months later, Hatfield was solo and with a little more angst on her plate for Only Everything. A solid set, it was more varied than Become, and could have been its equal had Fleur De Lys, Dumb Fun and Dying Proof fell on the cutting-room floor. 1998's Bed was a disappointing affair, while 2000's double whammy - the acoustic Beautiful Creature and the aggressive Total System Failure - would have been better as one, shorter album. 2004's In Exile Deo is unlikely to turn the sales tide, and she seems to have spent the last couple of years listening to Sheryl Crow records. Presumably the innocence and simplicity of early material doesn't sit comfortably with a woman in her late thirties.

   Hatfield will make more great records, but the quality of Become What You Are and much of former band The Blake Babies' output seems an awfully long time ago now.




5. This was Juliana Hatfield's best and most popular CD, and it included her breakout hit "My Sister". She was one of the trailblazers in "bubblegum grunge", making the combination of "girl"-ish, innocent vocals and driving Nirvana-era grunge guitar really work. I rediscovered this CD in my collection just the other day and popped it into the dash, and to my pleasant surprise it sounds just as good now as it did 11 years ago. I highly recommend this one, if you can find it.

5 comments about There Will Be a Light.

1. Just a great album, very accomplished and inspirational. If you like the Blind Boys you'll lobe Ben Harper.



2. This is a great album. Their version of "Pictures of Jesus" is one of the more perfect songs I've ever heard.



3. I've listened to this CD many times, never get tired it, and find it esspecially uplifting listened to on a Sunday Morning, Amen!



4. Ben Harper, the Road Warrior in the flesh lays down some truly spiritual and inspirational music with some of the greats of the Gospel world. All it took was one listen and I was hooked. Easily the most accessible and easy to listen to of Harper's work. Fans of gospel, country, alternative rock and blues-rock alike should definitely pick this one up. The vocals, especially on "Wicked Man" might even conjure some memories of Little Feat for some. Great album. The world needs more like this one.



5. What a combo! Ben Harper, road warrior, jam master and granola hero, teams up with the ageless grammy award winning gospel warriors.....this has the potential for 2 outcomes: 1) something that just flat out won't work or 2)something very very special.
   
   Well.....it is option #2!!!!
   
   With old southern standards and brand new originals, the crew reaches deep into gritty southern soul roots and captures the ghosts of the past. You can feel the emotion and passion in each song. You almost think you are in a tiny church somewhere smack in the middle of the Mississippi delta!
   
   I recommend this for any lovers of gospel music. I also do the same for any lovers of classic sould r&b.

5 comments about Dilate.

1. A strong release from the aggressive indie songstress offers another captivating glimpse into the impressive songwriting and stylistic range dripping from DiFranco's acoustic command. Her skilled use of arpeggios continues to be amongst modern singer-songwriting's most compelling. But with all that talent comes the burden of matching vocals to the rhythmic intuition behind her brilliant strumming. It is often here that Ani falters, offering vocals stuffed with self-conscious delivery and over-enunciated bellowing that rings less true each time replayed. It is a shame really, since the times we do get to glimpse her voice completely at it's purest she sounds as close to honest as a million of her signature lyrics could suggest. Thankfully, this is pretty much one of those albums that just grows stronger as the songs go by; even tracks that don't quite feel uniformly solid benefit from an intelligent melodic sense and of course, DiFranco's unabashed personality.



2. If you don't like this album, you don't like Ani DiFranco, and you may well be dead.
   
   The lyrics ("life used to be life-like, now it's more like showbiz") are razor-sharp, the music is stellar (standouts are the title track and Shameless), and the song selection holds together very well.



3. I don't know anyone who doesn't relate to the angst and anger demonstrated on Ani's Dilate album. This album helped me channel many demons over the years. Most notably, "Untouchable Face" which somehow tapped into almost everyone's conciousness. The whole album is fulled of punch and pissiness from "Superhero" (I used to be a Superhero, I would swoop down and save me from myself/ and you were like a phone booth that I somehow stumbled into/ and now I am just like everyone else), all cleverly written, all acoustically and powerfully performed. I've tried other Ani CD's but Dilate is to me her crowned achievement. Even covering "Amazing Grace" with a very pissy mood to it, the "Napoleon" bitch fest about the record business, and a lot of moody broken heart love songs. Dilate is genius and even all these years later I can't stop playing it.



4. Ani, you outdid yourself on this one. Your heart beats in the languid grooves and has me on the verge of tears everytime this disc spins, down through the years. And that stands for something!
   
   FOCUS - MELODICISM - PASSION - SINEWY SONGWRITING
   
   What a Woman ! !
   
   -ted.o



5. I never heard any Ani DiFranco music before I met my ex-boyfriend, so I didn't really know much about her. He was really into folk music, so he gave me this disc to listen to. Well I fell in love with her music right away. It was bouncy and fun, and lyrically it was like nothing else I had ever heard before. I love her style and how she paints a perfect picture with her words, so I was hooked. Well the ironic part is I swear either all guys are the same, or she was singing about my ex 99% of the time. I have never related more to a song before I heard the title track 'Dilate'. It became an anthem for a while, and when I hear it now 3 years later I start laughing to myself because it still feels so amazingly spot on.... "you are so lame, you always disappoint me, it's kind of like our running joke, except it's really not funny, and I just want you to live up to the image of you I've created, I see you and I'm so unsatisfied, I see you and I dilate"... "When I say you sucked my brain out, the English translation is I am in love with you and it is no fun".... I don't know, it's like she was in my head, and just had a better way of expressing exactly how I felt. Most of the songs had something about them that rang true to me, not just on this album though, the live disc 'Living in Clip' had many of the same songs and then some others that also seemed to be narrating my life at the time.
   
   Anyway her music is great, even if you aren't in a crazy relationship. However if you are, this is music that might just help you get your strength back, I know at times I would listen to it religiously because there was something so comforting about it, maybe it was just because she does a better job of expressing her anger and frustration. It felt like I could just put a song on for him and make him understand how I felt, but of course it never worked out that way.
   
   Anyway the irony of who turned me on to her music will forever make me smile, and when I listen to it now it is just a great reminder of how good I have it with my husband to be. For those who just appreciate honest music created by a talented poet and musician this album should not disappoint.

5 comments about Somebody's Miracle.

1. Poor Liz Phair, she can never have an album before or after Exile to Guyville that will approach its excellence. This album has many good songs and is nice enough to listen to, but few of the songs are extraordinary, and some start to sound the same.



2. Well, let's start with this: I am A HUGE Liz Phair fan (or, at least, I thought so.) I loved "Exile" and "WCSE" very much, and I intend to get Whip-smart. No matter how many times I listen to these cds, something jumps out, and sucks me in.
   
   In "Exile," the lyrics are phenomenal, and the production is rough; a true masterpiece. It showed a ton of emotion. In "WCSE," Liz expanded her subject matter, and, while her music became a tad more accessible, the lyrics were great and the songs stay in my head. I never regret listening to either of these albums. I skipped over her self-title, because I hate pop, or at least most of it. I feel that pop isn't thought provoking, beautiful, or full of real emotion. I listen to music that does something for me, that MEANS something (no offense if you like pop.)
   
   This album is a toss-up for me. There are plenty of dull pop songs. But then there are some songs that are quickly becoming my favorites. Her sound is good, and I don't mind if it's a bit polished. I really like her voice, despite it not being particularly outstanding. But, I have two issues. First, some of the songs are too similar in melody, and don't stand out. The other is THE LYRICS!! What on Earth happened here? Now, don't get me wrong. It's not the swears or the risque material. I miss the clever rhymes, the candid phrases, the words that stuck in your head and wouldn't go away for weeks. Who told her to rhyme the two most bland and obvious words? These songs could be a lot better if she had given it mor thought.
   
   These are on a scale of 1-10, ten being the best
   Leap of Innocence-8. It is pop, but some of the lines are really good, and hint of the old song-writing goodness. It sticks in your mind.
   
   Wind and the Mountain-5 It's okay. It seems a little religious for my tastes. I just can't get into it.
   
   Stars and Planets-2 I'm sorry. This is pure "everyone is wonderful" pop. Overproduced, and just like everything else, but the two comes from the actual melody not being horrible.
   
   Somebody's Miracle-6.5-7 I like the chorus, and I find myself humming it a lot. not the best verses, but you take what you can get.
   
   Got my Own Thing-7 There are some clever lyrics, and I like the beat, but it loses some of its appeal after only a few listens.
   
   Count on my Love-3 Once again-pure pop. The uplifting message is just a little too picture perfect. I like the one pat where she sings the chorus, and all that accompanies it is a twinkling melody of a single guitar.
   
   Lazy Dreamer-3 Pop. One or two good lines, but begging for radio play, and just like anything else already clogging the airwaves.
   
   Everything to Me-7.5 I like this song a lot. The lyrics are frank, like in "WCSE." I also like the melody. Catchy.
   
   Closer to You-6.5 I like the slow, more relaxed quality, like Uncle Alvarez. The lyrics are starting to get back up to where they were on her first three albums. It is a little too sweet for me.
   
   Table for One-10 This is classic Phair, with the low-fi vibe and the great verses. Sad, depressing, stripped-down. It reminds me of "Glory" from "Exile." A great song, and my favorite on the album.
   
   Why I Lie-9 Back with the biting lyrics, a song that energises you. I love it.
   
   Lost Tonight-1 Dreadful.
   
   Everything (between Us)-7.5 I like it. The melody is good, and the singing is faster. I like the chorus, and the lyrics are solid, and are reminiscent of "WCSE"
   
   Giving it all to You- 5-6.5 Pretty good. The pace is good, but the lyrics leave something to be desired. A tad poppy.It seems a tad bland.
   
   Can't Get Out of What I'm Into-8 I NEED to get this off iTunes-I can't believe she took it off the cd. It's really good, probably because it's from pre-Exile.
   
   Overall, the really good songs make this worth getting. If you are like me, and hate pop, just skip over the pop, and it leaves a good twenty minutes of pretty darn good Liz Phair.She has matured, but we can still love her. Perhaps her next release will be another great. I respect that artists can change, so more power to her.



3. This is a really good record. Listen to it as many times and with as much heart as you listened to Exile in Guyville, then whinge freely, o you hipsters of lamentation. It's lousy with great, if less strident, hooks and smart,spot-on lyrical moments. It does sound really different; lo fi Liz is gone forever, but we're all making rent and we like it. And to whoever wrote the Amazon blurb (brace yourself, this is boring but important), twitting her for reminding us that "we all shine, shine, shine." She, or the lyric, is acknowledging that some of us kick out our own light but mostly we just reflect it. Lovely, modest, accurate, becoming-a-grownup language. We need more of this voice, folks. We might just need Liz to spank us until we admit we have a problem.



4. I get bemused when critics write that Liz Phair has sold out or gone soft. The poor woman apparently isn't allowed to grow up or mature. Some writers and fans want her to eternally remain their caricature of the twentysomething alt-rock sex object. Well, if you are willing to meet "Somebody's Miracle" halfway you will find its the same old Liz of her earlier great albums, with more experience and wisdom. There's the same witty, self-deprecating lyrics in songs like "Lazy Dreamer" and "Why I Lie." There's the same hard-rocking, off-kilter melodies and rhythms, albeit with a touch more production. And there's Liz's endearingly rough vocals, which always crawl inside my head and stay there. Even if this record was as misguided as its detractors say it is (which it isn't by a long shot), a Liz Phair record is a rare event and always an occasion for celebration. And when she sings, "I'm praying for it", I, for one, believe her.



5. Liz Phair is at her best when she's angry, depressed, and horny. Unfortunately, most of SOMEBODY'S MIRACLE finds her as perky and chaste as a church youth group leader. There's exactly one excellent track on the album: "Table For One", a tale of desperate alcoholism that stands head and shoulders above all the other midtempo pop numbers that surround it. Of course, midtempo pop has its charms, and several of the songs are above average. The "best of the rest" is probably "Why I Lie", a catchy ditty with a cheerfully unlikeable narrator. Other highlights are "Wind And The Mountain", an ultimately uplifting anthem with good imagery and good lines, "Leap Of Innocence", which trades in gentle nostalgia while holding faint hope for the future, and "Everything (Between Us)", a velvety portrait of intimacy between longtime partners. The lead single, "Everything To Me", starts promisingly, but nosedives into an utterly hackneyed chorus. ("Would you take the time to catch me if I fall?") Most of the rest is just drearily ordinary verse-chorus-verse pop, and maybe it's not fair (uh, no pun intended) to take Liz to task for such bland songwriting, but she proved on EXILE IN GUYVILLE that she could be both tuneful and breathtakingly original; it's hard to see her current output as anything but a giant leap backwards.
   
   Not only were the song structures on EXILE and other early albums fresh, the subject matter was daring and the lyrical attack unique. That's another place where SOMEBODY'S MIRACLE falls down badly -- the songs on this album are thick and sticky with cliches, and their themes (with the exception of "Table For One") as unthreatening as could be. In fact, I believe this is the first Phair album where there's nary a swear word to be heard. Not that cursing automatically makes for a great album, of course, but the difference is emblematic of how devoted Phair seems to playing it safe nowadays. It's almost as if her songwriting is aging backwards -- while her first few albums were perfect soundtrack material for the lives of twenty- and thirty-somethings, her last album seemed more aimed at 17-year-olds, and most of MIRACLE wouldn't be out of place on a tweener's stereo. Maybe an album of children's songs is next.
   
   Ah, I'm being cruel. But what's true is this: I've been a Phair fan since the beginning, and SOMEBODY'S MIRACLE is probably the last album of hers I'll buy unless I hear that she's decided to be an artist again rather than just a craftswoman.

5 comments about The Will to Live.

1. Execellent album. Ben Harper incorporates many different styles of music and does it well. Overall the album is fairly spiritual in content without being over the top. I cant tell you how much I love this album. In the top 20 of albums from the Nineties.



2. First question. Why is it that whenever someone mentions Ben Harper the next person's name that comes up is Lenny Kravitz? Their music is not that similar. Obviously the similarity between them is that they are the most popular African American rock musicians of the 90s. I hate this because it suggests a sense of racism by immediately pinning them against each other and making comparisons. They are two entirely different musicians, though both great in their own right. They are not the first African American rockers, for rock was invented by Chuck Berry and mastered by Jimi Hendrix. Not only that but there were other influencial and revolutionary African American rockers since then, for example, Bad Brains, Fishbone, etc.

   Anyway, "The Will to Live" is an excellent album. Popular hard rock is not the forte here, nor is funked out rock. What Harper does is incorporate many genres into his mix, including blues, roots reggae, rock, folk, and grunge. The excellent strings, such as in "Roses from my Friends", suggest classical influences as well. This album pays no regard to boundaries and does it well throughout the album. All in all a work of art.




3. An album which expresses Harper's traditional genuflection to spirituality and concern for the less-than-fortunate. With "Homeless Child" and "Widow of a Living Man" (one of my favorite songs by him), Harper exhibits once again his uncanny ability of peering into the world of the downtrodden and revealing its anguish w/grace. While perhaps his most melancholy release, it's beautifully orchestrated, and like the majority of his work, it's an album that, thematically, speaks to those who are ahead of the status quo.



4. cant say that i'm a fan of the country-folksy-bluesy-semi-acoustic-lowlevel-rock-and-soul genre... but this aint bad... nothing that feels prententious or forced... or even 'cute'... just honest... and i appreciate that type of music regardless to the form it takes on.

   want to shake your moneymaker in the club? or rattle the concrete as you blow out your brand new stereo speakers???

   then THIS aint gonna be the album you do it to...

   but if you already lean toward the more eclectic/eccentric side of musical expression, then hey: get this and knock yourself out!




5. Ben Harper is one of the few original artist to jump race and genre boundries. he is a master of all styles able to rock out with screaming guitar, he can hit right to your heart the next on a simple soft chord. Do yourself a favor and check out any of his CD's. or go for the gold and get the box set

5 comments about ELLIOTT SMITH.

1. Emerging from the shadow of Kurt Cobain in the late 90's, Elliott Smith was perhaps the greatest singer songwriter of his generation. Smith's genius was his unabashedly honest, naked, poetic lyricism that was so beautifully complemented by his unpretentiousness acoustic guitar. Like none that came before him, Smith delivers note after note of haunted, sparkling melancholy. Far from gloomy, his songs radiate with incredible emotional intensity. Combining an unbridled punk rage within the guise of an acoustic folk song, his songs speak for themselves. Reflective and introspective, each song unfolds like a delicately wrapped package, revealing itself slowly. Smith's songs present themselves like late night thoughts that just won't go away. Concerning themselves with drug abuse, depression, and troubled relationships, Smith exorcises his inner demons and releases them in a beautiful, blinding, luminosity, albeit born from dark, painful emotional despair.
   
   Elliott Smith returned with twelve brand new songs on his second self titled album a year after his debut on the Kill Rock Stars label. Sonically, ES is virtually indistinguishable from his debut Roman Candle, although the songwriting was becoming increasingly sophisticated and developed. There is also slightly more raw aggression in both his playing and vocal delivery. Smith has said himself that ES was recorded on his girlfriend's borrowed guitar, and that it was tuned down and he didn't realize it. Fortunately, it works to his favor. What works so well for Smith's sound is the intimacy that comes across, lyrically and instrumentally. Listening to this in a quiet, dark room, you can literally feel Smith breathing down your neck. Complementing his introspective lyrics, the delivery is no less than perfect. Sounding more and more haunting with each verse, Smith brings us deeper and deeper into his dark world of despair and desolation. Confronting drug abuse, depression, and alcoholism, Smith exorcises his demons in a beautiful, emotionally confessional arc of songwriting. The first half of the album leaves the listener breathless, Smith bares his soul, not looking back. Lyrically, there is not a "weak" song on the entire album. There is incredible cohesiveness and an intimacy bordering on uncomfortable. Slowly, it becomes apparent ES is a step forward from Roman Candle, each songs begins to immortalize itself into your consciousness with each repeated listen. His subtle melodic arrangements are so brilliantly crafted that they only begin to reveal themselves upon repeated listen. It is at this time that you realize his lyrics follow the exact same pattern. Again, so perfectly is his songwriting complemented by his paper thin deliver, that you can't imagine it being played by anyone else. On "Coming Up Roses" Smith begins to embellish his songs with drums and harmonica(used in RC). The effect positively gives his songs a more three dimensional feel. Stylistically, ES is perhaps the climax of his first three releases- catching him in his prime, between Roman Candle and Either/Or before he moved on to greater production and a richer more full bodied sound. Track 1 "Needle In The Hay" was featured in Wes Anderson's film The Royal Tenenbaums. Elliott Smith is perhaps the definitive work of arguably the greatest singer/ songwriter of his generation.



2. I love Elliott Smith's work(Mostly his lo-fi stuff). I got this on vinyl, and it's amazing. Hearing his fingers shift on the guitar is such an amazing sound that you just don't get anymore. Powerful lyrics such as Needle In The Hay and Coming Up Roses really give yo something to awe over.



3. If dead men can have fan boys, I would be one. The album is amazing like everything hes written. This one does have a more distinct grungy? feel. It feels rougher to me than the others, don't know the words to describe that.
   
   The proceeds just go to his abusive father and his label, so do what you will with that info.



4. Despite what many folks might say, its a wonderful time to be a music fan. Given the informative power of the internet combined with the fact that a majority of worthy music finally has (and still is) making its way onto Compact Discs. We have the power to sample, pick and choose music from around the globe. Bliss. I am still discovering stuff from the 70s, that I missed when I was a kid. So why am I jibbering on about this when this is supposed to be an Elliott Smith review? I think I wanted to point out that if you think this is good. And given the reviews, many people love this guy - You have reached some sort of bottleneck in your quest for music. The material, as on all of his records, is mediocre at best. Some say its dark, contemplative, beautiful and deep. It try's to be, but like a weakling trying to do a pull-up, it just can't get its chin over the bar. And on top of that, it is sorely deprived of any thing musically redeemable. You want thought provoking lyrics? No not hear. You want cool alt-pop that sticks in your head? Sorry, try again. And these are actaully the types of things Elliott Smith gets credit for. I am completely convinced that this guy is both melodically and harmonically challenged. If anything, I will say that he is consistant. Creating one forgettable tune after the other without even stopping is maybe something to be proud of. You would think just by chance be might stumble onto something good, I mean they do keep letting him make records. There is so much better out there in the genre of 'whimsical, quasi-dark, singer soungwriters'. You can say that I don't get it. I don't.



5. i originally heard the first track on this album while watching the Royal Tenenbaums. I liked the song so much i bought this album. I am a new fan of elliot smith's music.

5 comments about Exile in Guyville.

1. A good cd. Much better than her newer music. If you like good music, you should pick this cd up.



2. This is a great album that has stood the test of time. "Flower" - WOW. I wish Liz wanted ME that bad.



3. Ok im not the type of person that only likes the mainstream...not at ALL. i love my Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, PJ harvey and such like the next person they are all fantastic. With Liz Phair i have to be honest i brought Whitechoc and whipsmart first (based on reviews) and despite really liking a few songs on both i wasnt excited...and they made little impact...this of course made me unhappy because via the reviews i was expecting to find yet another new goddess of great music....i then brought liz phair and somebodys miracle...and despite understanding some fans point in the sounds...i still loved the music its great catchy stuff and in no way has she "sold out" by making it, its her choice to go in another direction musically and she's done the lo-fi thing now so why not move on? ANYWAYS in all of this i knew i had to at some point get Exile, supposedly her best work, raved about, in rolling stones top 500? but i was unsure...after whipsmart and co...well i got it and....wow! so good, as good as they say and better! i LOVE this album 6''1, help me mary, dance of the seven viels,never said,mesmerising, f**k and run, girls!, stratford-on-guy and strange loop are all among her best ever songs and i would recommend this album to anyone...and another great thing is it made me go back to the other two and they are not as great but they both come close! so yeh her first three are her best...and she has vocal limits...but on exile this works brillaintly for her, Liz Phair rocks amongst the best!!!!!!



4. album that is going to sound great to most people out of the box, but given time it will grow on you. It certainly is not the most polished piece of work but that is part of the charm. I am kind of tired of over produced albums being held up as the pinnacle of music. Sometimes you have to find the diamond in the rough and appreciate it for what it is.
   
   The lyrics alone make this worth the price of admission. There are very few artists that can write the things that are found in this album and then have the guts to sing them out loud.
   
   If you are looking for something polished and top 40 this is not it, but if you have an open mind give it a try.



5. This album will grow on you faster then moss in a swamp. Lyrics that when you hear them - your just happy she's not singing about you - yet are sexy enough that you also wish she was singing about you. Also, in the songs you really can see Liz's inner thoughts and insecurities. It was said when she went to support this record her stage fright was enormous - you can also see that nervousness in her songs. Do yourself a favor and put up the 14 or 15 bones and be entertained by the sexy girl next door Liz.

5 comments about Hey Babe.

1. For many, the best album Juliana Hatfield ever did, I've always found "Hey Babe" to be thoroughly lacking, particularly in comparison to later work. After several years with indie pop outfit the Blake Babies, Hatfield's first album finds her largely without a voice unique from her former band. The music found on this album is a similar jangly pop, with some more alternative leanings pointing towards the future. But the album lacks two things that are so essential to all of her future albums-- her brilliant guitar playing is virtually absent on this album (Hatfield played bass in the Blake Babies and the Lemonheads) and her vocals totally lack confidence.
   
   It's little wonder then that one of my favorite pieces on the album features Mike Watt on bass and Hatfield on guitar, "Get Off Your Knees". But while the execution is great, the piece itself is marred by weak songwriting. In fact, this is another problem throughout the album-- the pieces on here are largely weak compared to her later material ("The Lights", "Forever Baby") and in many cases are so forgettable that when I'm not playing the record, I can barely recall them ("Lost and Saved", "No Answer").
   
   Of course, it's not all bad-- Hatfield is far too good of a songwriter for that-- "Everybody Loves Me But You" is largely the pinnacle of her jangly pop, and there's a superb bass sound on it (although the vocal would be a lot better if it had any confidence behind it). "Nirvana" and "Ugly" point the way to the future-- the former with its compulsive alternative guitar crunch and glittering chorus, the latter as the first pretty ballad without that jangly sound by Hatfield-- a vehicle she'd return to over and over again throughout her career.
   
   Juliana Hatfield would do much better work in the future, this album is clearly a bridge between the Blake Babies and her solo career. Interested parties should start with the record's followup, "Become What You Are", one of her best and most accessible albums. This is more a curiosity piece than anything else.



2. Can anybody write songs like Juliana? her tunes are the best out there. On her first solo disc she has come a long way from the Blake Babys days, the songs are harder and better than the Blake Babys tunes. The sweet vocals are great, she's dropped the little girl sound from the Blakes and sounds much better now. While not quite the masterpiece that Only Everything is, it's not very far off. The bass and guitars are excellent, the vulnerable and personal lyrics are good too, with solid producing throught the entire disc. Every song on the disc is good with a wide variety of tunes that don't all sound alike like alot of discs do. This can be played over and over and is still just as good each time it's played, The Lights is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. A must have disc, they don't get any better than this.



3. I've owned this album for a long time, and it still remains one of my favorite. From the catchy first track 'everybody loves me but you', this album draws you in. Some of my fave tracks are i see you, no outlet, forever baby, and one of the greatest songs to wallow in your self pity to... ugly. The song nirvana is an ode to everyone's favorite grunge band, and pretty much sums up my ideal girlfriend. If you are sick of the same old poppy girl rock, and can think for yourself, pick this up NOW!



4. this is a cool cd, and "the lights" is the best song, it always puts me in a good mood...



5. It was easy post-blake babies to assume a pop-happy LP from Juliana --- but less so to believe that such an item would withstand repeated listenings. Hey Babe does all that and more.

   With the BB reforming in 2000, things have indeed circled - JH has the new double plus CD, John P Strohm is doing so well solo and Freda seems happy with Lola, one may think 'why trouble'? Answer: just great music.

   With HB, JH really spoke with her own pure voice. Everything in this recording is personal if not perfect - this is the most real, depthful, JH album - even if others seem more so.

   I guess she's like an angel, to some people...

   ... but that's going to change, soon.

5 comments about Strange Little Girls.

1. When I first got this CD a few years ago I wasn't able to appreciate the substance and style of this CD....now I have matured so to speak into my 30s I really LOVE it! It's absolutely enchanting...her unique voice....takes me to another world! She's a great songwriter/singer!!!



2. I applaud this chick for making a remake of Bonnie and Clyde 97. But she wish it had half the Heart and Soul that Eminem possessed in early 2000s.
   
   She tries to prove a point, but falls flat on her azz. She is one of the most well-known and "respected" quirky singer-songwriters, but I felt empty listening to the final throws.
   
   Skip this, and say that You thoroughly Enjoyed it. Then get into deep Conversation, about how this particular album moved you, and re-arranged Neptune and Venus, in the pale, blue sky.
   
   1 star. Piss-poor attempt.



3. I enjoy the creative value of this CD, though it's not one I listen to often. It just is not something I want to sit down and listen to, throughout. I do value her ability to cover a song and turn its original perspective on its ear. A gift all on its own, that.



4. StrangeLittleGirls is, no doubt, an oddity in Amos's ever-growing career, and it's also probably her least known work. Moderate Tori fans have been disillusioned with this album, more than likely because instead of containing original material, it's an album of covers.
   
   To be more specific, it's an album full of covers of songs that were written by men (and for men, perhaps). The variety of the songs is impressive. Everyone from Velvet Underground to Eminem to Neil Young to Slayer gets covered here, admittedly, some better than others.
   
   The concept of the album was to completely reinvent each song and sing it from a feminine perspective. Every song is like a lost "strange little girl." The album seeks to serve as a refuge for these girls.
   
   So does the album succeed its goals?
   
   It very much wins in its attempts to give old songs new meanings and new perspectives. Tori has tried to take each song, strip it to its essentials, distill it, and then sometimes redress it in brand new clothes. Some of the more outstanding covers on the album (which Tori truly makes her own) include Eminem's "'97 Bonnie and Clyde," Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence," Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays," and Slayer's "Raining Blood," among others.
   
   There are a few mediocre covers on this album, as well, even if some of them do achieve total reinvention.
   
   Many critics and fans have completely dead-panned her manic-punk-rock cover of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," but I personally think it fits and works. The only song I feel that absolutely does not work is her cover of "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" -- which she completely mutilates by trying to give it an anti-gun edge.
   
   Overall, SLG is a mixed bag, but it's worth the price if only for its few spectacular songs and its great photography work (it includes a different "Tori" along with accompanying text for each song, illustrating the different "girls" each song represents). SLG generally succeeds in its goals as a whole, and critics and fans have been a little too hostile towards this vastly underrated concept album.
   
   This is certainly not a good place to start if you're a first-time Tori listener, but if you like her classics (such as Little Earthquakes and from the choirgirl hotel), you will find something to like here.



5. I believe one of the FEW artists out there that can pull off a covers album is Ms. Tori Amos. Before the release of this album, she already proved her witty talent to reinvent old numbers with a fresh vibrant energy. So I wasn't surprised that this Strange Little Girls album would be great. And it is!
   The highlight for me is her rendition of Eminem's Bonnie & clyde. There she proves how worthy she is of taking other people's songs and recreating them.