5 comments about Marquee Moon.

1. Very good- single is great. But like Horse by Patty Smith it is probably over-rated by the cool crowd of the CBGB era. My how the icon status of Blondie and the Talking Heads has fallen in recent years. The song Marquee Moon heavily deserves to be on your playlist for Classic Punk/alternative though.



2. Often cited as one of the NYC bands that helped inspire the "punk rock" movement in the 70's, Television is typically lumped-in with the punk bands that followed, but this is a tragic mis-characterization. Television certainly shared some of punk's elements: spare instrumentation, raw youthful energy, and a "street rock" rejection of the overindulgences of 70s era musical and visual style. But unlike the bands that followed, Television did this with a keen musicianship, that was equal to the intensely inventive spirit of their songwriting. This is why their debut album still remains fresh today and deserves recognition as a unique document that has all the qualities of the highest forms of musical art. I fully expect that hundreds of years from now those interested in and knowledgeable about electric guitar music will still be listening to the work of Television while their contemporaries are long forgotten.
   
   Perhaps it takes a musician to truly appreciate the sheer brilliance of Marquee Moon. The inventive guitar interplay of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd over the equally inventive rhythmic foundation of drummer Billy Ficca and bassist Fred Smith puts every other rock foursome of the time to shame... both in sheer originality and musical sophistication. Most of the bands that followed eschewed serious musicianship and offered little more than youthful rebellion driven ever harder to a new level of speed, attitude, and volume. Television cracked open a door to a different kind of music, one that combined the raw attitude of rebellious youth, with a musical sophistication rivaling that of creative jazz, a fresh musical alchemy all their own that remains influential long after the raw appeal of punk has run its course.
   
   For those looking for punk head-banging over densely hammering chords, this recording is not for you. For serious musicians and others interested in the deeper creative possibilities of guitar, bass, and drum rock music, Marquee Moon remains an essential and timeless artifact that defies categorization, and still inspires awe in Those Who Understand.



3. If ever there was one thing--ONE THING--that a person could buy that would make them go from zero to COOL at about the speed of light, this is it. Buy it and enjoy your trip.



4. The thing about Television is that their two studio albums from the 1970's, especially Marquee Moon, sound like nothing else. Marquee Moon never gets old. It's kind of like a musical fantasyland. Every track is unbelievable. The musicianship is so unique that one can always tell what band it is. No one has made a guitar album like this. Sure, any band can have one guitarist bang out chords while another solos over the top but the two guitarists here arrange the songs so well that one need not bother picking them apart. It all flows together perfectly. Buy this.Listen to it. Listen to it again. Try to compare it to anything else. You can't.



5. I went to CBGBs in the mid-70s and saw a lot of the bands who became famous. The drinking age was 18 and the place was a dive on skid row, but it was cheap and had live music. As a then BTO and Deep Purple fan, I wasn't cool enough to appreciate Television, the Ramones or the Talking Heads who I especially hated. Blondie got a pass for being so hot. Still, I bought the first Ramones album and Marquee Moon around late '76 or early '77. Wanted to love the Television album, but I kinda' hated it. They mighta' had a punk aura, but the sound was nothing like the distortion driven guitars of the Ramones, Sex Pistols or modern punk sound bands like Nirvana or Green Day.
   
   I rediscovered Television in the late 80s and now it's one of my all-time favorites. You gotta' listen to it a lot of times, let it grow on you. You can't just play it in the background either. You have to actually pay attention. It's artistic, melancholic, yes even angst-ridden. There's real beauty in the soaring guitar solos (guitar solos are so not punk) that intertwine to create a dynamic and unique fabric of music. I unfortunately could get past the sharp, twangy, almost country-ish Telecaster sound. I don't want to sound like a know-it-all saying you have to develop a taste for this album, but it did take me a long time to develop my own taste enough to appreciate this music. This album deserves another chance, for those who disliked it. Based on my own experience, it may even require several more chances.
   
   BTW, I don't agree that "The Who" were godfathers of punk, as someone suggested. They had been street punks, but so was Rod Stewart, whose punk credentials don't need to be reviewed. For real precursors, try Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, B side. Of course there's the Dolls, the MC5s, Iggy the Stooges and the rest. Don't forget the Dictators!
   
   One last thing: For those who question their musicality or technical chops, Television, believe it or not, was probably a collection of the best musicians in that genre, back then. Most of the other bands barely knew how to hold their instruments, let alone how to play them. Gigs at CBGBs were often glorified garage band rehearsals where the members were learning how to play their instruments. They played wrong chords, wrong songs and even argued about on stage during shows. You had to look at it as performance art, `cuz music it wasn't. Of course, they were great performers.

No comments about The Rip.

5 comments about WINCING THE NIGHT AWAY.

1. I loved their first two records and I've gone to one of their shows (they were awesome), so I made sure to give this record a long time to warm up on me. Of course, I loved the single, I had very high hopes for this record. I didn't like it so much when I first listened through the record, but I thought that I would grow to love it over time. I've listened through it several times since then, and I still can't see why this would be considered a better record than Oh, Inverted World or Chutes Too Narrow. When compared to a lot of other bands out there, Wincing... is far better than anything most current bands have ever done. Of course, they have to let their music evolve over time, I wasn't expecting Wincing... to sound exactly like their previous work. Every time I listened to it (with an open mind), I was left unsatisfied. I sinceirly feel that there was something special about their first two records that Wincing The Night Away lacks. I believe that anyone who is interested in or is a fan of The Shins should buy Oh, Inverted World or Chutes Too Narrow first. It's quite good, but clearly not their best.



2. Or at least that's what Natalie Portman told me in the film "Garden State". I respected that film enough to trust that line of dialogue and give this Shins CD a try. Natlie (actually Zac Braff, who wrote the script) was right -- I am forever altered into a Shins fan.
   
   On first listen, I liked the first few songs, and thought the rest were OK. With each successive listen, I quickly grew to love this CD, practically to the point of addiction. "Sleeping Lessons" was my early favorite, with "Red Rabbits" now elipsing that in the never-ending stream of Shins songs in my head.
   
   Fantastic CD. Easily within my top 20 favorites of all time.



3. I picked up this CD at my local Indie music shop in Vancouver without knowing anything about The Shins.
   This CD is original in it's sound, fun and really entertaining.
   The sound is that of British Pop (though the band is from Oregon).
   Best tracks are: "Australia", "Phantom Limb", "Red Rabbits" and "Turn on Me".
   I rate this as one of the best CD's of 2007. Very enjoyable!



4. It's been a good run for the Shins so far, a band that languished in typical indie-pop obscurity for seven years before exploding into popularity with their second album, Chutes Too Narrow (over 393,000 copies sold) and a Grammy nomination (for "Best Recording Package," true, but they take what they can get). Indeed, things were going good for New Mexico's prodigal sons.
   
   Rather than give us another copy of Chutes Too Narrow, the album that, along with everyone's favorite indie-romantic torch film Garden State, propelled the band into the limelight, the Shins present us with an album that at times retains the familiar sound listeners have come to associate with the band and at others stretches their sonic imaginations. Wincing the Night Away attempts to strike a fine balance between experimentation and `60s pop homage, but only halfway fails.
   
   Lead song "Sleeping Lessons," a look at Mercer's chronic insomnia, starts off as most Shins do, quietly and building up a sense of tension. However, where Chutes Too Narrow's "Kissing the Lipless" burst into a sugary electric burst within seconds, the synthesizer and gentle acoustic guitar strums on "Sleeping Lessons" go on for about two and a half minutes until exploding into a typical Shins song, all bouncing drums and Mercer's near falsetto illuminating the way.
   
   Listeners are once again reminded of the Shins' new music ideas with "Sea Legs," not only the longest track of the album at five and a half minutes but also one that radically reinvents what can be called a Shins song. The song is built around a funky bass riff and a drum machine (!), along with strings and synthesizer effects.
   
   While the song is at first relatively catchy and a novel sound for the band, it soon become repetitive and the typically obtuse lyrics turn grating, with Mercer singing non sequiturs like "when the dead moon rises again / we've no time to start a protocol." The song ends anti-climatically with a boring synthesized trip-hop jam.
   
   Wincing the Night Away is also fairly top-heavy. The second half tends to blur together, with songs that sound either too stereotypical Shins ("Girl Sailor") and leave no lasting mark, or are too self-consciously experimental. The most obvious is "Split Needles," which suffers from an annoying synthesizer line and drums mixed way too loudly.
   
   That being said, there are some fine efforts at creating a new sound on Wincing the Night Away, as well as some entertaining examples of the patented Shins "sound" that make for some of their best songs.
   
   "Red Rabbit" is the band's most successful foray into the experimental side of pop music, holding Mercer's strong vocals on a foundation of kitchen-sink sounds that sound like they were taken from an old-school Super Mario soundtrack. A melody from what sounds like an underwater piano accents Mercer's unusually dark lyrics, later accompanied by simple acoustic chords and mimicked applause.
   
   The album's first single, "Phantom Limb," is pop bliss, catchy and refreshing. A simple drum-and-tambourine beat anchor the song, built mostly around Mercer's enchanting vocals and a series of guitar licks, until the song climaxes at the chorus into a harmonized choir of voices.
   
   The best song on the album might also be the best one the Shins have ever recorded. "Australia" begins with a series of "la-la-la's," chiming guitar, and a cheery drumbeat before Mercer's multi-tracked vocals erupt into what may be the quintessential Shins pop tune.
   
   The song is a fusion of all of the Shins' most obvious influences and the band meld these influences into its own creation seamlessly. Much of the credit goes to Mercer, whose singing here is some of the strongest on the album. The lyrics are at first depressing but morph into optimism, with Mercer singing "so give me your hand / and let's jump out of the window" at the song's ending.
   
   All things considered, Wincing the Night Away is a bold step for a band many had come to think of as a one-trick pony. While a few of the songs are musically uninspiring and lacking a sense of direction, many show a heartening change of course that hopefully will be carried over to the next album. Songs like "Phantom Limb" and "Australia," meanwhile, prove that the Shins can still rock like it is 1968 and sound cool while doing it.



5. If you're unfamiliar with The Shins, or if you favor songs loaded with repetitive, predictable lyrics, then you might listen to this album once and walk away unsatisfied. However, dare to listen to it twice and you'll be hooked.
   
   These guys may appear regular and unassuming, but they'll blindside the unsuspecting with haunting guitar rifts, offbeat drums, and playful lyrics that roll out in a refreshingly unfamiliar pattern - terrific fuel for the creative mind.

5 comments about WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT.

1. Amazing album, they are a great band...honestly, just buy this, you won't be disappointed, and this is not some fangirl from the UK...(its a fangirl from the US)...but nevertheless, I think everyone will enjoy this music.



2. I love this group! This album is clean and straightforward. You get all of the rock with none of the BS. It is fresh and contemporary and just plain fun. Buy it now!



3. These guys are quickly becoming one of my all time favorite bands. This album has a punk influence and catchy lyrics that make you want to rock out. The lyrics give away the age of these guys since the album is primarily about partying and picking up girls, but it does make you nostalgic for your single college years.



4. one of the better new albums i've gotten recently. a couple of the riffs in these songs sound hugely familiar, but i can't place what i think they're similar to. i hear a bit of Franz Ferdinand in here, and a few other things as well, but if their sound isn't entirely unique it is quite good: catchy, rough-edged, solid, and i do have to say i love the singer's voice.



5. This is an excellent album. Arctic Monkeys are the first band I've been excited about since Opposite Day

5 comments about Nevermind.

1. while much can be said about the decline in the music industry this album represents the death of rock music in the ninties. This album compared to the great rock albums of the seventies surely shows the lowering of musical talent through the decades. most of the songs you can't understand and what little you can does not make any sense. there is little artistic value in this cd



2. Nevermind is a fascinating, strange, grumpy old creature. If you think that means I think it sounds dated, you're wrong. I KNOW Nevermind sounds dated, don't be fooled. Some just think that
   "It aint dated, man. It's just classic, it's just influential! Don't ask questions."
   That's absolutely fine and appropriate. But I KNOW it sounds dated, . Why does this matter.
   Some say "well, duh, it's narrow, it's un-spectacular. It's too loud, it has nothing to say. They're Not even musicians." I think their right, but I also think that such people enjoy their favorite music like many enjoy fallatio; extremely customer-biased, with not much to say but witha whole lot of work to be done. But this band is a punk group.
   However, the latter group of idiots is totally right and first group is wrong :-( But, obviously, the latter group is the real jerk. Nevermind is the first album I've heard whose dated sound is a reflection on its listeners rather than itself. I say whose, because the album is such a fun-loving punk rock mentality. It matched the sentiment of society that was done with nonsense-music. And in spite of it's affinity to (not for) nimrods as well as its inaccessibility to ( and for ) anal musical bores-it makes fools of those who hate it, and makes villains out of those who can't explain it...it stands on its own and watches the debate boil over time, smiling bitterly.
   
   The record is a born punk, a cranky older middle-aged man in album years. Obviously the punk's brain is Cobain and obviously its limbs are Noveselic, Grohl as well as Cobain. People say Nirvana is terrible because they're overrated and are being called the new Beatles. It didn't want to move a million or re-define the counterculture, but it did. And this is what dates it so cruelly just like Sgt. Pepper-it's true-also has an expiration date ranging in or around the mid 1960's. It hasn't aged gracefully into a new era, because punk rock is a hell of a think to fit into any sort of mainstream filter. Yes, It's a guitar-driven record that corals much of its songwriting chops from someone who doesn't ably blow away yesteryears guitar-heroes. And yet, he doesn't want to.
   
   Kurt Cobain was a snot-nosed punk who would much rather blow such people off in favor of outdoing 70's icons ultimately more respected then his -extremely-talented contemporaries like Soundgarden and Alice and Chains. This is the first time I've reviewed this album, but I feel it's duly worth noting that Nevermind sounding dated is less a reflection on the album itself and more a reflection on the listeners. It perfectly connects punk rock senselesness with pop sensibility. And for some inane reason this equation equals reality, like a new world discovered on the other side of the black hole.
   Nevermind, don't be fooled, is a masterpiece; the kind that judge you more than it tries to impress you. Smells like Teen Spirit, Lithium, and especially speedier works like Territorial Pissings and Breed are catchy, but not flashy, two very different things. I'm not afraid to say it, Nevermind is frustrating to understand. Scathing lyrical attacks on a reuniting of old friends/enemies a la "Come as you Are" hint at a terrifingly huanting and blurred core beneath the fantastically poppy drums. The beautifuly scarce solo is basically the ghost that crashes the part. If it was any more techinically proficient or any less, the song would be cut down. This is the sum of the albums parts, just enough to fool, terrify, and label you better than you can label it.



3. OK, so I have set myself the task of reviewing the second most overrated albums of the 90's (the first being OK Computer) whilst trying not to offend anyone and also trying to be fair. It has been quite some time since I have listened to Nevermind all the way through. Back in the day I listened to it endlessly and loved it. It is a great album, certainly a very important album, maybe the most important of the 90's. However, it is also a very `cool' album. Many people give this top marks without thinking about it because it's cool to like Nirvana isn't it? Cobain was such a tortured genius wasn't he? My friends will think less of me if I don't like this album won't they?
   
   I personally am not bothered about what is cool, what is not, about being pretentious etc. If I like something then I like it, not because I'm expected to like it. The same goes for if I dislike something.
   
   Having said all that, I really enjoy this album. It is a very solid piece of work; there are no problems at all with running through this from beginning to end, each song ranges from good to great and the power and energy runs throughout. Add that to the nostalgia I feel, remembering listening to it as an 11 year old, then a few years later when everyone started listening again after Cobain's death, then it surpasses being just an album; it becomes part of my coming of age.
   
   Smells Like Teen Spirit- Straight off the bat we get a cool riff and then BAM, the power hits us. Like the album, this track is overrated and overplayed. We shouldn't let this detract from the fact that it is still a fantastic anthem, which the so-called Generation X embraced. A very powerful opener for an album, everybody's attention was grabbed and all eyes were on Seattle.
   
   In Bloom- This next track is as every bit as good as Teen Spirit. Cobain's guttural vocals, a big fat baseline and a great solo combine to bring us a superb song that sometimes gets forgotten, wedged between two better known titles.
   
   Come As You Are- Featuring some of the best lyrics on the album and a hugely famous intro, Come As You Are is only second to Teen Spirit when it comes to popularity and fame amongst the Nirvana catalogue. For me this is the best track on the album, Nirvana's best song in fact. Absolutely incredible.
   
   Breed- Grohl's drums propel Breed throughout the next three minutes. Cobain is great on vocals, the lyrics are once again very good and a middle eight that loses none of the songs fire and tempo.
   
   Lithium- `I'm so happy cos today I've found my friends, they're in my head. I'm so ugly, that's ok cos so are you' are my favourite lyrics from the album. The chorus is the very essence of the grunge movement. One of the best crafted songs on Nevermind.
   
   Polly- Not as innocent as it first sounds, this acoustic track has darker undertones. A slight change in mood here as we have a softer song with no loud moments, just Kurt, his guitar and minimal background.
   
   Territorial Pissings- Pure energy is the only way to describe this song. The drums, guitar and vocals all strain together to give this odd and almost novelty song a brute force that almost smashes it's way through the speakers.
   
   Drain You- Another underrated track on an album with so many highlights. The balance between all elements is spot on, including the brilliant lyrics.
   
   Lounge Act- The intro starts with a big fat meaty bass line and then the track develops quite an upbeat tempo. The vocals show off both sides of Kurt's abilities; in the first half we get his singing voice which is low and rough, then in the second half we get his scream and yell which makes his voice even more gravelly. His voice IS grunge.
   
   Stay Away- `Rather be dead than cool' perhaps the most fitting and revealing lyrics that Kurt Cobain penned. A good solid track with brilliant drumming by Dave Grohl.
   
   On A Plain- One of my favourite nirvana songs; everything about it, once again, fits together just right. I just love the way the lyrics kick in at the start.
   
   Something In The Way- We started off with a heavy anthem but know we end the album on a quiet note. This is even more laid back than Polly and it is so much better. A very simple tune with a very simple yet beautiful harmony on the chorus, this is the most understated track on the album and, hence, the most underrated.
   
   There is a hidden track called `Endless, Nameless'. It doesn't really fit with the rest of the album and isn't a great track, however there is some good musicianship going on and a few good melodies intertwined with the rawness of the singing.



4. It's hard to believe the albums that changed my life all seemed to have been around the late 70's and early 80's and I didn't think that would change but then something happened. In all fairness there wasn't all that much greatness after the beginning of the 80's - by the time I had worn out most of my vinyl from the early 80's I was mulletized, wearing name brand acid washed jeans and trying to hang with the cool kids of the Def Leppard crowd. Of course I never fit in with them but that's probably because I'd run home, watch the Aqua Net out of my hair and put on my Lisa Hartman album.
   
   But by 1991 we had all had enough of hair bands and constant sexual innuendo. Sure, Lita Ford got me through some fits but come on I needed more, so along came a new Messiah and his name was Kurt. He didn't care if you liked him, looked at him or hit him, just as long as you heard him. And we did. But this goes beyond just affecting me with the thrilling moments of angst found on the album, Nirvana brought about a whole movement - I tore those labels off my jeans, I put on the thrift store cords and boots, the flannel and the big ratty sweaters, I let my hair grow. I have to admit though I never went so far as to only bathe by Pachouli but come on I was raised right.
   
   In essence, Nevermind became a voice for people of my inner angst - my age, my outsider status, everything I thought was on the sidelines was suddenly there in front of me. The music had anger, the music had depth, the passion was there in the lyrics and in the performances, and it changed my whole life. I was finally in a place I wanted to be. My own style changed, my writing, my poetry and stories, my lyrics all took on new meaning and I was no longer afraid to write how I really felt - warts and all. It made me an artist - an unpaid artist sure but if you create art and no one's there to pay attention you're still an artist aren't you? Sure you are and so am I - thanks to the life altering album Nevermind.
   
   The opening riffs of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" through "Breed", "Come As You Are" - each one pushing and pulling at you until you feel the same angst running in your own veins. There's a reason this album is always a top with the critics, it's because it's that powerful, that entertaining and that good.



5. This album is the worst kind of trash....talentless noise...
   
   I swear we hate capitalism (hey david geffen, can you shoot us another million so we can make yet another overproduced, lame video for our target audience of 16 year old girls on MTV?)
   
   I cannot go on...the most over rated pile of rubbish ever recorded....not to mention it ruined the music scene forever....yuck...
   
   The only album that is worse is the barely decipherable In Utero.
   
   One final point....people seem to forget....the popularity of this trash was/is always massively overstated....this album sold about 9 million copies in the US....put another way...it would be Bon Jovi's Fifth most popular album.

5 comments about AMERICAN WATER.

1. This is an odd and highly entertaining amalgam of Lou Reed vocals, twisted lyrics, and laid-back song structures that are married to country-rock and modern rock arrangements, and somehow what comes out of it all is a very relaxed, enjoyable record. I think if you go into this not expecting to be overwhelmed, you will find yourselves pleasantly surprised.
   
   It's clear that all the significant talent that came together to make this cd really enjoy singing and playing with each other. The results are fresh, unique, and at times, memorable. Put this on one Sunday morning, open up the newspaper and sip your coffee, and enjoy.



2. I'm looking at the effusive reviews for this Silver Jews record and they just underscore how unreliable Amazon customer reviews are. Five stars for this album? Ridiculous. The lead "singer" (is it D.C. Berman?) has a determinedly bad voice....I kind of admire his fearlessness, singing in public despite such a glaring lack of talent. And a couple of the tunes are not completely unbearable thanks to decent guitar playing, but I think 2 stars for this CD is more than generous.
   
   If you like music that's raw and offhanded and on the improvisational side I strongly recommend checking out Akron/Family. Akron/Family are far better musically than Silver Jews but are not completely dissimilar.



3. This is the ultimate in laid back folk rock. The guitars are powerful but relaxed, the lyrics actually mean something, and the vocals are hollow and bold. "Now you know my two middle names are wrong and right" is to this day my favorite song lyric. And there is plenty more included. Listening to this album is like eating a warm turkey sandwich at five in the morning on a winter day. It is filling, wildly impressive, and truly one of the best albums I own. Plus, you really can't beat a name like Silver Jews. Who wouldn't want to add a band name like that to their album collection?



4. This album is just, nice. And down to earth. Very simplistic, at best.
   
   Berman's poetic lyrics outshine Malkmus and his wails.



5. David Berman is an amazing artist that maintains a really low profile. He's never really been in any spot light, but yet for a 7 year stretch he put out some really amazing stuff. All three of the first Silver Jews albums are worth owning along with his book. Anyway, this album finds David Berman teaming up with college friend and Pavement member Steve Malkmus again. This album is very loose and breazy with a sort of Pavement meets Bob Dylan feel. This album definitely ranks up there with either of the albums Pavement put out after Wowee Zowee, and is far better than 90% of the indie rock I hear coming out anymore. I also think that Steve Malkmus played some incredible guitar on this album, and if you hear it you'll see that he has a more restrained approach on this album. I wish these two would work together more often because the results are often amazing.

No comments about Salute Your Solution.

5 comments about Vitalogy.

1. If you are just discovering pearl jam, this album is not for you at first. It still has some rock tunes like SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE, CORDUROY, LAST EXIT, SATAN'S BED, NOT FOR YOU, BETTER MAN, WHIPPING. There is some experiemental stuff on here, like BUGS, AYE DAVAITA, PRY TO, and FOXYMOP HANDLE ITS ME. One other hit is TREMOR CHRIST, it charted at number 18 on the hot 100 but is now largely forgotten. But I do recomend buying this after you buy their first two records TEN and VS



2. Pearl Jam-Vitalogy ***1/2
   
   Sorry but Vitalogy is far from being Pearl Jam's best album. I just can't for the life of me understand how this has developed the reputation it has. Of the first four albums from the band this is the weakest. Vedder's lyrics are nice here but fail to evoke anything. The band here sounds great but at the same time this album seriously feels like they are trying to be The Replacements. This sounds and feels a lot like The Replacements first album Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash.
   
   'Last Exit' and 'Spin The Black Circle' are two of the best songs on the album, but they are also the two songs on the album that sound the most like The Replacements, which is fine with me as The Replacements are truly one of the greatest bands of all time. 'Not For You' and the erratic 'Tremor Christ' once again find the boys sounding like The 'Mats. But this time toward the end of The Replacements career rather than the start. 'Nothingman' might be the best song on the album, and it remarkably sounds nothing like anyone other than Pearl Jam, which is a good thing. 'Bugs' is nonsense an a serious misstep for Eddie Vedder, and the accordion is over-kill and down right annoying after the first three notes. 'Better Man' is the big single of the album and one of Pearl Jams greatest songs, and one that personally scares the junk out of me. The thought of being in a false relationship with someone who claims to love you but doesn't, that is scary. The rest of the album is hit or miss for me and mostly ends up being miss.
   
   Now it was one thing when The Ramones became a parody of themselves in the 1980's but Pearl Jam didn't even do that, they became a parody of the original flannel wearing Replacements, and so early in their career. Sad. Vitalogy is an album worth owning as the good material is really good, but for the casual PJ fan your better of with Yeild, or their self titled, and Vs.



3. An improvement over VS but still not a very good album. One or two good tunes the rest is just stupid studio retardation with accordians and sound effects.....not Pearl Jam of the TEN era.



4. This is an interesting record. Lot of experimentation, in fact more so than on any other Pearl Jam record. Now, there are "modern classic rock" songs that are the group's stock in trade and actually come off sounding quite excellent as far as resting on laurels go ("Last Exit"; "Spin the Black Circle"; "Not For You"; "Corduroy"; "Tremor Christ"), and the massive hit "Betterman", aptly described by the group's producer as a "Blatantly great pop song" - sure, it was annoyingly overplayed in its time, but it's much easier to appreciate now than it was back then, and I think it's my favorite of the group's songs (that ending is so perfect!): the similar sounding "Nothingman" is another strong point. Then there's some useless annoying stuff, like "Whipping" and "Pry, To" (which is short, thank god), as well as idiotic experiments like the polka "Bugs" (What the WTF is the point of that?), the bizarre "Satan's Bed" ("I want to suck Satan's dick" is a real lyric from that song! Now, that's just screwed, I'm sorry), the Latin-funk "Aye Davanita", and the sound collage "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Stupid" (note how I combined the song's two titles! Oh yes...) - sort of like an alt-rock "Revolution 9", and just as bad as that "song", too. The power-ballad "Immortality" is a keeper, though



5. Want singles and hits? You've got em.
   Rockers: "Last Exit", "Spin the Black Circle", "Not For You", "Corduroy", and "Immortality"
   Mid-tempo hits: "Nothingman" and "Better Man".
   And even: "Tremor Christ"
   
   This is an excellent album with everything you have come to expect from Pearl Jam. Really, their first three albums were a dynamic trilogy that will always be their best work. They have continued to make strong music, but have released more experimental stuff in recent years, and have sort of become the new Grateful Dead, in a way.
   
   This is a must-own album for any fans of rock music, hard rock, and the Seattle sound of the 90s.

5 comments about Greatest Hits.

1. I stumbled upon this the other day and of course grabbed it up. This is a great collection and well worth having, especially for existing fans of the band.
   
   I gave it 4 stars because 1) it could have had another half dozen songs on it, 2) some of their best were left off and some that were included weren't their best, and 3) some of the songs are not the original recorded versions and this should have been disclosed up front.
   
   That said, I think it's GREAT that they have included alternate recorded versions on this disk! They are closer to well recorded demos than fully polished studio cuts, but that's a cool thing in my book. They are well done but fairly bare bones - the real band without a lot of studio fakery & polishing. VERY cool. I'm more interested in THAT, then just another best of with the same versions I already own.
   
   And the new track is cool as well!!!
   
   WORTH BUYING!



2. I didn't want to buy this, but I knew I would. I have every other album and Mike's solo work as well. I never miss a chance to them in concert whenever they are within 100 miles (and sometimes farther).
   
   I also have this theory that once a band releases a "Greatest Hits" collection they are essentially done making anymore good music. I'm hoping that Social D is the exception.
   
   The classics are here and they sound okay, but once you compare them with the original versions (so easy to do when it's all in your iTunes) you'll find that these re-recorded versions lack the depth and feeling of the originals.



3. If you have not heard much Social D. Buy this album. Well worth it.



4. Social Distortion is a fantastic group of musicians that have fused punk and country to make their own, original sound. This compilation contains several of their greatest hits, including "Reach for the Sky", a piece so transcendent I plan on having it played at my funeral.
   
   The only complaints I have are twofold: One, that several great songs of theirs were left off the album. Where are "Broke Down in Bakersfield" and "Nickles and Dimes", two songs that deserved to be included?
   
   The second is that the cover art on the album is just wierd, consisting of a masked man with a gun. What does that have to do with their music? Who chose that image?
   
   This is a worthy effort that will please Social D fans, but it could have been better.



5. Of course all of the oldies are still great, but the new single on this album is great. Still sounds like pure S.D.

No comments about Grace.