5 comments about Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace.

1. The Foo Fighters have shown who and what they are in the last ten years. And they have had success. Their song "My Hero" has been used in the 2008 Presidential election. Interestingly, in 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton earned more Votes than any other Presidential Primary candidate in American history (hillaryclintonforum, the denver group)



2. Foo Fighters made their big break in the 90's and disappeared for a while. The band resurfaced with some albums but now it seems to have matured a bit. Their songs have been polished and their tunes seem different and better. Some great songs are "Let It Die", "Long Run to Ruin", and "Stranger Things Have Happened" which have been played on the radio. All other songs will take some time to appreciate and later will be favorites.



3. I was not super impressed with ESPG being a long time FF fan. The fighters showcase a wide range of styles ranging from slow ballads to faster paced rock/grunge sounds but as a whole, the album does not flow well and is difficult to listen to from start to finish. The first single 'The Pretender' is my least favorite after hearing the complete album and listeners may be mislead after listening to that track.
   
   Its worthwhile to long time FF fans, but if this is your first fighters album, look to the early 90's albums instead. This one is just mediocre.



4. I ordered this CD with Pepsi points. It arrived in exactly seven days. I have ordered CD's through the mail from other compaies like BMG and Columbia House and they usually have cracked jewewl cases on arrival, but this one did not. I plan to order more CD's through Amazon. And ya gotta love the Foo Fighters!



5. I have to listen to E,S,P&C at least once a day, from start to finish. Love it from beginning to end, loud to soft, fast-paced to slow. It's amazing. The melodies grab you, and the harmonies and Dave's voice don't let you go.

5 comments about Sailing the Seas of Cheese.

1. Chronicling this fascinating trio's synergistic hell-funk fury really gets moving with this release. The sound, while still as alternate backwoods as ever, had been further fleshed out and refined, allowing the Other two players to compliment Claypool's distinctive brand of peculiarity in ways seldom to be reached again.



2. In the late 80's and early 90's some bands of my generation were missing the experimental sounds of yore(sixties/early seventies) and this is what came of it, the best use of a bass gitar is as a medolic instrument, not just a backstander to the other "main" instrumentalist. Ignore "Search for the Stars" or "Rock Idel" or whatever show and don't take Paula Abdule's ill-begotten "advice" about "loosing the gitar" and be a slap/vocalist god intended. The other members are far from weak though, particularly the drummer who has the gusto of his clearly stated influence by Bill Bruford of the "Bill Bruford Band" and "Yes" as well as "Genisis" and many other efforts.
   Primus once opened for Rush.



3. The title of my review says it all. This is my favorite Primus album. Even Frizzle Fry in my opinion is a distant second. The best part of this is the songs. Primus was at the height of their creativity and songwriting and humor on this one. The quirky songs and lyrics still feel fresh, and its really a fun album to listen to. All the songs are good and SSC should be listened to all the way through if possible, but my personal favorites are:
   
   "Here Come the Bastards"
   "Sgt. Baker"
   "American Life"
   "Is it Luck?"
   "Tommy the Cat"
   "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweakers"
   "Fish On"
   
   If you can only buy two Primus albums, make them Sailing on Seas of Cheese and Frizzle Fry. If you can only own one, make it this one. Of course if you're more a fan of the standard 3 minute top 40 rock song like something from Nickleback, Avril Levine or (gulp) Creed, then you'll probably not know what to do with this.



4. THIS EARLY 90`S PRIMUS IS GREAT,PRIMUS IS PRIMUS IS PRIMUS,YOU KNOW YOUR GOING TO GET SOME GOOD FUNKY ROCK WHEN YOU BUY A PRIMUS CD,I GUESS YOU COULD CALL THIS KINDA CHILLI PEPPERISH BUT HEAVIER AND BETTER AND MORE DIVERSE WITH MORE SKILL ON THE INSTUMENTS,THE MUSICIANSHIP ON ALL PRIMUS DISCS IS SUPERB AND THIS IS NO DIFFERENT.GET YOUR CHEESE!



5. Though there's no real way to describe Primus, it's best to know that they're sort of like the funk-rock of modern alt bands such as RHCP and Jane's Addiction mixed with the hardcore/punk of Meat Puppets and Fugazi by way of Frank Zappa. In other words, they're very weird, but even when they fail, they fail marvelously. Luckily they fail far less here than they would on upcoming albums.
   
   One of the only minor crossover hits they had is one here ("Jerry Was a Race Car Driver"), but if you're attuned to music like this (they're consistently labeled under metal, after all), almost all of them will be worth hearing. Les Claypool remains one of the most dexterous musicians ever to slap the bass and this is one of their more song-oriented albums (likely as a result of just being signed to a major label), but I imagine equal numbers will love it and hate it. It's a mood thing for me, but it's always worth the attention.
   
   Best cuts: "Sgt. Baker," "Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers," "Is It Luck?" "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," "American Life," "Tommy the Cat," "Eleven"

5 comments about YOU ARE FREE.

1. Such talent!! I love this album and every other one that Cat Power has done. There's a reason Cat Power has been around so long and probably will continue to be. A modern-day version: Arrica Rose, an emerging singer-songwriter in her new album La La Lostcomes real close to Cat Power. Check her out.



2. I'm noticing that this is the most-reviewed Cat Power album on Amazon (or at least in a close race with The Greatest), but I wanted to add my review to the pile because this is my favorite. It has "Maybe Not" which came out at a time where things in the world seemed a bit out of control, and out of the hands of the common person, and just said "we all do what we can." I saw Chan's crazy free summer concert in NYC a few years back and while that show was chaotic fun (she stopped playing for a while to chase a squirrel around the stage, trying to feed it some bread), that song brought tears to my eyes. Anyway, this album also has "Good Woman" which is a simple, beautifully written song, and some of the best hooks, in my opinion, that Chan's written. But I like just about everything she does. (My screenname is a Cat Power reference, so there you go.)



3. Known for her minimalist style, sparse guitar and piano backing, and otherworldly vocals, and equally notorious for her chaotic, tearful, and unpolished live performances, Cat Power is the stage name of New York City singer/songwriter Chan Marshall. Her sixth release, You Are Free (2003), is among my favorite Cat Power albums. It features Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters) on drums and Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam) on backing vocals on a couple of the tracks. Better known for her cover albums (The Covers Record; The Greatest; and Jukebox), You Are Free is all original Cat Power material. Tracks include:
   
   1. I Don't Blame You (3:04)
   2. Free (3:33)
   3. Good Woman (3:56)
   4. Speak For Me (3:01)
   5. Werewolf (4:05)
   6. Fool (3:47)
   7. He War (3:29)
   8. Shaking Paper (4:27)
   9. Babydoll (3:05)
   10. Maybe Not 4:16
   11. Names (4:49)
   12. Half Of You (2:39)
   13. Keep On Runnin' (3:49)
   14. Evolution (4:45)
   
   The intense emotions in these songs are real. Shortly after releasing this album, Cat Power suffered a "psychotic break" that resulted in a brief admission to the Psychiatric ward at Miami's Mount Sinai.
   
   G. Merritt



4. This album hit my heart like a bullet. Some people get too into the "complexity" of music and forget that it is not just math but mystery too. This album is soul. It is mystery. It is (expletive) beautiful.



5. I want to say this is one of her more solid releases, but I've always felt Marshall's songwriting was anything but solid. So I guess this would be one of her better embellishments, taking what little framework she has a a pianist/guitarist and spinning it into something a little more edge-like. Most of the time her frail, minimal approach does not succeed simply due to a lack of range. I am all for the style, but one must always learn the rules before unlearning them, Cat Power always sounded like she just skipped those steps. Likewise, when she tries to pull of her more bluesy, southern-styled approach it usually feels rather forced and phony. Still she does land a few stripped-down songs with convincing sincerity, and with a few songs concentrating on some of her less-absorbed, but more absorbing rock work, You Are Free should be considered, if not a step forward for the overrated songwriter, certainly not a step back.

5 comments about Pinkerton.

1. Pinkerton brims with catchy pop hooks and melodies, yet manages to go beneath the surface of the band's power pop façade and expose all the feelings and desires of a self-isolated nerd/rockstar.
   
   The album was originally panned by critics upon its release in 1996, but has now gone on to develop a cult following and has also gained the respect of critics and fans alike in retrospect.
   
   A good portion of the album was written while Cuomo was attending Harvard, while dually recovering from leg surgery, and in the process, he became a self-isolated hermit. (This is most evident on the track, "The Good Life", where Rivers sings "Can't even get around/without an old-man cane" and "Shivering in the cold/Bitter and alone") Other concerns Cuomo voices concern relationships of all kinds, from falling in love with a lesbian ("Pink Triangle"), receiving letters from a woman living in Japan whom he becomes infatuated with ("Across the Sea") and even a tune about a drug-addled liar of a girlfriend.
   
   Cuomo knows he's a geeky guy, and his lyrics are quirky and self-depreciating instead of pompous and arrogant. Throughout the course of Pinkerton, there are many examples of his writing style, and if I had to choose two songs from here to illustrate them, I'd choose the aforementioned "The Good Life" along with "Pink Triangle". The result is a plethora of fun songs, no matter how depressed or angsty Cuomo gets.
   
   Personally, I love this album. Even though it is still pretty radio friendly and poppy, it somehow manages to be brutally honest and hard to forget. It does require more than one listen to fully appreciate, and if you're new to Weezer and expecting another Blue album from this, you'll be disappointed. Underneath it all is a great album waiting to be discovered.



2. When I first heard Pinkerton, I thought, This is okay. GIVE IT MORE TIME This album is the catchiest rockingest deep lyricest and just plain awesome album EVER. Songs like The Good Life, El Scorcho, and Falling For You are just plain good. They really bring out the awesomeness in this release I didn't know anybody could possibly make an album this great besides them (check out their other albums) and I haven't found one yet. So rock hard and keep bein freakin awesome. WEEZER!



3. No need to write alot, this was and still is the best weezer Cd. No filler, just killer. Instead of all these color CD's, I wish they would go back to these types of songs. Get this one first, then be disappointed by the others.



4. This is my favorite Weezer album and at $2 it's a STEAL! If you're looking to get more into Weezer buy this album! It's awesome.



5. I am going to get this out of the way right at the start: I think Weezer's self-titled debut, or "The Blue Album", is arguably song for song one of the more perfect albums that I've listened to with nary a song that I'd consider cutting (even In the Garage which initially I didn't care for). "Pinkerton", the follow-up, is often considered the definitive Weezer release and the best of their entire career but most didn't feel that way and the album got mixed reviews though people now see it as classic over time. While it is certainly a stellar record, I always hold "the Blue Album" in higher regard though "Pinkerton" more than holds its own.
   
   Tired of Sex: About the frustrating easyness of sexual encounters without love, the song is gritty and rocks hard with a great solo. 9.5/10
   
   Getchoo: A great singalong and though the verses are simply okay, the chorus makes up for it and I even prefer the bridge out of all of it with the syncopation going on. 8.5/10
   
   No Other One: Not as raucous as the last one but it's good though it's a bit repetitive so it's not really excellent though strangely that weird lead riff is catchy. 8/10
   
   Why Bother: A bit more punk-rock in its sound and one of my favorites on the album. A bit on the short side but it's a perfect length: get in, get your feet bopping and get out. 8.5/10
   
   Across the Sea: Strangely, people always call this the best song on the CD and while I don't mind it, I never thought it was the best. Very lyrically honest about a letter Rivers received, the song is strong in and of itself and I'd recommend listening anyway. 8/10
   
   The Good Life: Ah, here we go. Catchyness all over the place from its main riff, the beat and of course its chorus. Hell, even the slide solo can be hummable. Definately one of the stronger songs on the album. 9/10
   
   El Scorcho: The first single and the one that practically turned people off immediately. Lyrically it works, it's fun to sing along to chorus and it's got a fast-paced breakdown. Why was it panned? "Buddy Holly II" it wasn't, I guess. 9/10
   
   Pink Triangle: The third single and one of the best on the album as Rivers finds a crush is actually a lesbian. Catchy in its own way and a highlight from their career as well. 9.10
   
   Falling For You: Rivers mentioned this as one of his best songs he's written and while musically complex and a strong hook, it's sandwiched between Triangle and the next song after this so I usually skipped it but it's good anyway. 8/10
   
   Butterfly: Not as heavy or loud as the others but I consider this my favorite on the record. There's quite a lot of emotion in the singing, the lyrical metaphor for relationships, it's kind of befitting that the heaviest song on the record can be the most tender. 10/10
   
   Sure the record shouldn't have gotten that much hatred as it did and while I still prefer the debut, I'd heartily recommend checking out the cd.

5 comments about Loveless.

1. This may be, along with possibly David Bowie's "Station to Station" and Neil Young's "Tonight's the Night," the most terrifying masterpiece I have ever had the pleasure of being confronted with. Yes, what the fans say is true in my opinion, that this is a densely-layered, coherent thought layed out among eleven shorter (though no lesser) ones; and, to be accurate I am indeed a fan myself. Although I don't pretend to have heard all the incarnations "popular" music over the past 30 years, I do know this: Loveless, like any earnest and accurate expression of existence, is no less meaningless today than it was seventeen years ago. The blend of a prevailing major key alongside an urban sound density would make one assume that within this album there should be found population, wit, and communication. Luckily for us, none of those things exist here in the prosaic. Communication exists, yes, but only insofar as you are really only engaging yourself in conversation, along with a million other people engaging themselves in conversation- you are alone, along with everyone else, and you take comfort in the fact that love exists everywhere but here. Nowhere else have I heard a musical expression advance this thought so clearly and convincingly as here. So for all you parties of one who nevertheless need this earth and everything in it, get acquainted.



2. Writing about "Loveless" is like trying to describe a fantastic fireworks display seen ten years ago. You can capture the broad outlines, but the details are a little murky. Even if you can't fully express it, you still know it's something magical.
   
   That's "Loveless"...cotton candy vocals, swirling feedback, early Velvet Underground-style drone and guitar chords that leave an afterglow in your subconscious like one of those dimly remembered skyrockets.
   
   The bottom line? If you listen to the samples and you really hate them, then move on. But if you're intrigued, then buy the ticket. It's a ride you're not likely to ever forget.



3. All notion of talent is historical, but some people certainly rely much more on contextual receptivity than voluntaristic genius. MBV are the former. Just like Mozart's 2nd rate elevator work hypnotized his contemporaries who basically wanted music to sound pretty and dainty while they ate bonbons and powdered their wigs, MBV released a record during an age where, mindboggingly, people were willing to hear anything that sounded like apathy, but loud. Blame it on the fall of the Berlin wall, but these people really wanted music that asked no questions and made no statements.
   
   People have defined Loveless as aural androgyny, but passive-agressive neuroticism is more the case. Imagine Tony Soprano's mother if she were amplified till her negativity feedbacked into a permanent state of numbing aggression. Strip it of meaning and you're pretty much there.
   
   MBV managed to be formally formless and cashed in on the public's perennial willingness to digest abstract ideas as long as they sounded anti. MBV simply decided to make everything wrong: psychedelia was no longer a trip to a distant quasar but to your navel. Punk rock was no longer a loud scream but an over-amplified sigh. Acid House was no longer dance music but a swing-your-head siren lull. You can't really do much to this music, whether it's singalong, get angry or shake your hips. You simply witness.
   
   Some people think this is the apex of music: music as music, pure music, a religious experience, the sublime that blows you away.
   
   Others like me simply keep powdering their wigs and eating bonbons.



4. "Loveless" is one of THE greatest albums ever made. Absolutely unique in its own sound, powerful and moving, and a huge influence on many bands that followed it. There are moments on this album one nearly touches heaven. For the full experience, listen loudly with good headphones, and let it move over you like a warm wave. Absolutely essential to anyone who likes rock music that hits you on a deep soul level.



5. 2 years, 19 Recording studios, estimated £250,000 spent, and with the bands record label creation records nearly bankrupt all the while anyone not named Kevin Shields was just sitting around "sipping tea" a masterpiece was just over the Horizon. Yes, quite simply Kevin Shields and company made one of the best albums of the nineties in my honest opinion.
   
   Quite simply, I love this album, even though some may say all it is just a bunch of Sonic Noise, it is much more than that. Voluptuous yet ethereal melodies and arrangements, The songs oozing of Drug & sex induced imagery.
   
   Shoegazing at it's best, simple as that. This not for everyones taste though as some have said, you can't just pop this on, flip open a book and expect to fall in love with this record, there is so much going on here, so much layering, so much creativeness... Kevin sampled with many drum loops, fused with Valentines' roaring guitars with a dance-inspired beat, The lushest of arrangements you will ever hear.. even today this record sounds very fresh, very much so than what was topping the charts in 91.
   
   No, it does not have Guitar masterbation, No it does not have Led zeppelin Riffs, and No there is no verse-chorus-verse-chorus-Middle 8th-chorus format here.. this is simply Beautiful Noise.
   
   Highly Recommended.

5 comments about Vs..

1. If you liked Ten but thought it could be a bit heavier you'll love this. This is the strongest album by them, the only this closer is the latest self titled album. It starts strong with 'go' and even in the middle of the album when they start to experiment with 'w.m.a' you're still totally sucked in. A lot of rock albums tend to have song after song that sounds the same but each song here has it's own feel, no two are similar at all. This album also has perhaps their best song ever 'rearviewmirror', raw emotion and loud guitars dominate this album and anyone who wants to know what the 90's grunge was all about has to check out this.



2. Is this the same band that made TEN WTF?!?!?! These songs are uninspired and lame, are they out of gas already!?!?



3. It's an understatement to say that Pearl Jam was one of the best grunge bands of all time. However, Vs. was the album in which Pearl Jam really turned grunge into a pop culture craze of the 90s.
   
   Stone Gossard shows off some of his best work on this album, playing another excellent famous electric solo on the song "Daughter". Pearl Jam also started to use acoustic guitars, but rather than reflecting hollow, shrill anger as Nirvana did, Pearl Jam almost made grunge sound like Creedence Clearwater Revival with their bright chords.
   
   Probably the most interesting departures include "W.M.A.", which has the catchiest tribal drum rhythm I've ever heard in a grunge song. The album also takes the time to explode into a Funkadelic funk guitar in the loud jam "Blood". Even though it doesn't seem like all these genres don't fit together at all, it sounds amazingly epic with Eddie Vedder screaming at the mic and awesome guitars and drums all around. The only time it seems that the instruments don't fit together is during the awkward Jimi Hendrix riffs in "Rats" that don't sound nearly as cool as they should.
   
   This is one of the best Pearl Jam albums, far better than their fourth album, "No Code." The instruments all complement each other surprisingly well--proving that they were one of the coolest loud bands ever at this time.



4. This is my favorite Pearl Jam album, because I like every song on it. I love to rock out to this CD while I'm driving!



5. This release isn't on par with "ten" to me, but it still ranks pretty high. It's hard-hitting rock with equally impacting lyrics. "Vs" marked the end of my tight squeeze on Pearl Jam, and as such, for me is the last of their real rock sound.

5 comments about WHITE CHALK.

1. With or without some spectral lyrics, I was going to get a ghosty feel from White Chalk anyway. This is the first time I've visited this page. 10 seconds worth of seeing the number of stars in previous reviews already told me what I've quietly suspected for the past year or so. This is probably PJ's most controversial album thus far. Right off the bat, there's barely any guitar. If you're expecting/needing some of PJ's gritty post-punk-blues types of songs, just keep on moving along because this isn't that.
   
   While I don't rank this as highly as 2 of my very favorite albums of the past year, Carla Bozulich/Evangelista's Hello, Voyager and Dandelions On Fire by Simone Massaron and Carla Bozulich (available on this site but for some reason it won't let me insert a product link for this cd), I can't give it 3 stars. At 33 minutes it's more of an EP than an album. An EP of melancholic beauty where you don't feel like you're listening to a cd so much as you're hearing a solitary, haunted piano drifting down from your attic. Not that it's only piano and vocals, but piano is the dominant instrument.
   
   At the very least I would have thought every PJ fan probably loves the title track. How does someone not? It and a couple other tunes here (I'll let you find them on your own if you buy the cd) would be devastating, I'd think, were they played at or after the funeral of a friend. Most of the times I've listened to this album I find myself just sitting there 5 minutes after it ended. Somehow sad but not with a heavy heart. I do wish there had been a lyric sheet included (or at least posted on her site) because I haven't picked up on everything she is saying, but it's okay. Sonically, this music is somewhere I need to go.



2. After the shaky-at-best Uh Huh Her (in my opinion, her weakest album), I was immediately struck by how cohesive the vision for this record (one of her best) is. This is unlike anything she's ever done, which both hinders it and sets it free. The vocals are barely-there high, the piano is tattered and the artwork is striking. I think it's interesting that years after her forays into glam-goth, she makes what is truly the most gothic album she's ever attempted. I've never heard anything quite like it, but I was also surprised that no one had made this record before. I consider it an instant classic, an essential part of her catalogue, and yet I wish it wasn't so painfully short. It feels like a brilliant transitional EP. The only reason I hesitate to give it 5 stars is that it is so cloistered. It's a quiet, very strange, depressing record that only lends itself to play when the season allows. My guess is that in the winter, I will consider this one of my favorite albums. It is destined to be criminally underrated.



3. Having been a PJ fan for 15 years - starting with Rid of Me, I'm dismayed at this white disaster of artistry. To say that PJ doesn't cater to the mainstream is understood. To even say that she may care or not care whether she has any fans may also be accurate. Who knows what she was thinking when she made this. Maybe artistically she "hit the wall" and was going for a new direction. Whatever SHE may have been thinking, I bet the producers and company honchos must have thought this was going to be a disaster. Can you imagine going to a concert and listening to cuts from this dirge? I've been to funerals and heard more upbeat, soul satisfying music! Well, 15 years of great music is quite a statement. Maybe it's time for retirement PJ! I want to remember you as you were, singing Meet Ze Monsta!!



4. and her soft little girly voice, I say HUH? Ive never heard her before, but her previous cover art conveys a hardened, street wise woman
   
   Her songs and mannerisms here rip those preconceptions to sheds.
   "I freed myself from my family, ive freed myself from work-ive freed myself - ive freed myself-and am now Im alone..."
   One of the best lines in the song. being from the piece
   SILENCE, also one of the best songs on the album:
   What gets me is the anguished, haunting verses that convey going out into empty darkness.....
   which end the piece...
   
   It awakens something hidden inside, a memory, that I cant quite bring to the surface as a child, something which I cannot explain
   
   
   The song is worth the price of the album alone



5. If you like moody, haunting music with a bit of a gothic flair, then this should appeal. Her voice, piano work and arrangements all create a unified mood and deliver unique sounds and thoughts. I very much like all but two of the tracks, and those two are OK, just not as much to my liking. Enjoy...

5 comments about Stop Drop and Roll!!! [w/ Bonus CD].

1. So there is this "new" band that put out an album with an oh so familiar voice. And, yeah know what, it's pretty darn good... Who'd a thunk?
   BUT
   This still doesn't take the pressure off the boys to produce another authentic Green Day album like they promised!
   Get busy boys, your fans are waiting!!!



2. Awesome CD. I'm a big Green Day fan, and anything by Billy Joe Armstrong. This is a great CD - highly recommended for all Green Day fans.



3. Absolutely love this release, as I do with almost anything released by Green Day or Billie Joe. Got the cd in the mail sooner than I expected & within seconds, it was in my player & blasting out of my speakers. Cannot quit replaying "Pedestrian" and my kids have the "ba ba ba" part of Mother Mary down to a science. They sing along quite well to "American Idiot," "Jesus of Suburbia," "Castaway" & "Deadbeat Holiday"....so they are true fans in the making as well. So all this to say, FBHT, aka Green Day, has quite the extended fan base. As well they should. Best band ever , in my mind.....Billie Joe rocks & can do no wrong with his music.



4. I have listened to Green Day since they were playing 924 Gillman in Berkeley, but none of their albums grabbed me until American Idiot. That was one of the most brilliant punk albums ever. Foxboro Hot Tubs shows their musical talents in a different genre. They put together some great tunes with doo-wop and other stylings of the 60's and it works in their style. It's different and it's good.



5. All three members of Green Day, Tre on drums, Mike on bass, and Billie Joe on guitar and lead vocals! Foxboro Hot Tub's Stop, Drop, and Roll!!! is a throwback to Green Day's earlier music, with a bit of the 60's thrown in for good measure and variety. The songs "Mother Mary" and "The Pedestrian" stand out and are catchy and charming. Any fan of Green Day or the poppier side of punk will enjoy this album. It's awesome!

5 comments about The Best Of (4 LPs).

1. I'm not usually a big fan of "best-of" compilations, and this Radiohead retrospective explains why. EMI released Radiohead: The Best Of in June, 2008 without any input from the band after it quit the label, and without any songs from In Rainbows. As a result, there are "no surprises" here. The compilation includes singles, album tracks, and one b-side the band released from 1992 to 2005 while Radiohead was with EMI. Because this disc was not sanctioned by the band, one wonders what tracks Radiohead itself would have selected for its first compilation, or whether such an innovative band would have ever released a retrospective package of greatest hits. While this disc offers an excellent introduction to Radiohead at its most radio-friendly, it is basically irrelevant to longtime Radiohead fans. For anyone new to Radiohead, I would recommend investing your money in The Bends and OK Computer instead, and for longtime fans of the band, I recommend getting your hands on a bootleg copy of the band's recent 2008 Hollywood Bowl show (available on the internet). Tracks featured here include:
   
   1. Just (from The Bends) 3:54
   2. Paranoid Android (Single Edit) (originally from OK Computer) 6:27
   3. Karma Police (from OK Computer) 4:24
   4. Creep (from Pablo Honey) 3:57
   5. No Surprises (from OK Computer) 3:48
   6. High And Dry (from The Bends) 4:17
   7. My Iron Lung (from The Bends) 4:36
   8. There, There (from Hail to the Thief) 5:21
   9. Lucky (from OK Computer) 4:18
   10. Optimistic (US radio promotion for Kid A) 4:54
   11. Fake Plastic Trees (from The Bends) 4:51
   12. Idioteque (Edit) (originally from Kid A) 4:37
   13. 2 + 2 = 5 (from Hail to the Thief) 3:19
   14. The Bends (from The Bends) 4:05
   15. Pyramid Song (from Amnesiac) 4:49
   16. Street Spirit (Fade Out) (from The Bends) 4:13
   17. Everything In Its Right Place (from Kid A) 4:10
   
   G. Merritt



2. Of course, it's very personal, but this is one of those rare occasions when I think the producers have chosen almost EXACTLY the same trax I would have chosen to intro new listeners to Radiohead - the catchiest, hookiest, most sublime trax that really show how this group is in a league of their own. I don't think this compilation in any way detracts from the individual albums, and I really like the flow - not disjointed in any way. I purchased it bc. you can pick up a brand new copy for under $7!



3. My zero star review in no way reflects the music. Radiohead is the best band in the world, but this was released by Capital Records solely to cash in as a way to get revenge on the band after they left their label.
   
   Buy Radiohead's albums, their music is meant to be listened to as albums, not as a collection of singles.
   
   
   To sum: Capital records = Lame
   
   Radiohead = Amazing



4. There always is that fine line that must be toed to determine when it is best to put out a "best of" album. If it is done too soon then the band risks the appearance of being pompous while if it takes too long the disc could likely turn into a rather superficial touching of what the best music of a band really is. And while there is certainly no science behind knowing when is the right time to put out a best of compilation, there are certain factors that need to go into the decision making to ensure that the timing is indeed as good as it should be.
   
   With several successful albums now under their belt, Radiohead's latest release The Best Of is a seventeen track album that is an interesting way to do a best of album. Rather than focus on simply the purely best music of the band, it seems as though perhaps this album instead has gone the route of taking the most popular Radiohead songs and placing them almost in a mix-tape sort of way on this album.
   
   It seems as though the band likely had little oversight in the production of this best of album because really there are no surprises on the album. The songs that you would expect to see on this album simply based upon a perception of popularity do in fact make the track listing for the album. It would be much more interesting to have the band's insight shown on the album relative to which tracks they have produced that they themselves feel are their best music. As is often the case, the band's take on their best songs often varies greatly from what the mainstream radio crowd might think of the band's music.
   
   Again showing no surprise, the majority of the songs, totaling six, on The Best Of come from The Bends album which, again, is perhaps the most popular album the band has released in terms of the general mainstream music listener. Then you have four tracks from OK Computer, three tracks from Kid A and one track each from Pablo Honey, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief.
   
   Though the music of Radiohead sort of really needs no explanation as it relates to The Best Of, the music on this album is nothing more than the studio recordings of the songs listed in the track listing. The lack of creativity shown in the production of this album is rather troubling since realistically most people that like Radiohead for one reason or another more likely than not have each one of these tracks already on their Ipod. A little originality perhaps even in throwing in a live track or two could really have gone a long way for The Best Of.
   
   Radiohead is comprised of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway.
   
   Track listing:
   
   1. Just
   2. Paranoid Android
   3. Karma Police
   4. Creep
   5. No Surprises
   6. High and Dry
   7. My Iron Lung
   8. There There
   9. Lucky
   10. Optimistic
   11. Fake Plastic Trees
   12. Idioteque
   13. 2+2=5
   14. The Bends
   15. Pyramid Song
   16. Street Spirit (Fade Out)
   17. Everything In Its Right Place
   
   Though the music on this album is indeed some of Radiohead's best and most popular works, The Best Of falls grossly short in convincing the listener as to why there was any need to purchase the album. The lack of originality and band input is evident and it is a shame that it appears that the only motive for releasing this The Best Of is simply to reap additional quick profits.
   
   The Best Of is on the Capitol Records label and was all of Radiohead's music was produced by Nigel Godrich, John Leckie, Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie.
   
   For more information about Radiohead, check out their website at www.radiohead.com.



5. One of the most amazing collections of music ever put together...BUT...my record player can't play it! These records were manufactured to be just a few millimeters larger than your standard vinyl record and due to the larger size, they won't play on some record players!
   
   I own the Pioneer PL-990. If you own the same player, do not expect to play these records on your machine. It simply won't work.
   
   I will one day play these albums in my home. But I will need to purchase a different record player to do so.

5 comments about Violator.

1. This album has aged extremely well.It sounds as fresh as the first time I heard it 1989. Every track is excellent and and there is no filler. I usually don't listen to whole albums, but this was the exception.I strongly recommend it.It is by far the best Depeche Mode album.



2. Im not an expert on this genre or this band, but this is a great album. classic.



3. Probably my second favorite dm album, behind black celebration. Production is phenominal. Each song has a great synth hook.



4. This is the must have album for Depeche Mode. What more can I really say. Several hit songs, very good. I'm not a die hard fan but for the average fan, this ranks very high up there.



5. Let me begin by saying that I love Depeche Mode, and this is one of their best albums IMHO. Unfortunately, this remaster is like so many others from the 80s with a bloated mastering level and squashed dynamic range. Compared with the original CD it sounds thin and fatiguing. Maybe this is a conscious effort on the part of record producers to make the sound more friendly to compression to MP3 format or to listening on a portable device with really poor earbuds. However, when played on a high performance system the sound really suffers. Listeners are encouraged to check out this phenomenon [...]. Do yourself a favor and hold on dearly to the original CD. It sounds much more potent and involving. The same goes for other remastered music from the great 80s. Regard the remasters with a healthy dose of skepticism. Rock on!