Best of Underground

Track Listings

1. Es Por Ti - Rene Carrera

2. Caraluna - Rene Carrera

3. Bam Bam

4. Dios le Pido - Rene Carrera

5. Enloqueceme

6. Vida Que Va

7. Shabadabada

8. Sigue Al Lider (Follow the Lider)

9. Juana

10. Chica Bonbon

11. Shhh!!!

12. Mi Bom Bom

13. Esos Hombres - Rene Carrera

14. Esto Se Pone Caliente

Best of Underground,Various Artists,Sony International,Latin,Latin Music,Regional Mexican,Tropical,V/A Compilations

Best of Underground

Tracks:

Man on the Moon
The Great Beyond [from Man on the Moon soundtrack]
Bad Day [previously unreleased]
What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
All The Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star)
Losing My Religion
E-Bow The Letter
Orange Crush
Imitation of Life
Daysleeper
Animal [previously unreleased]
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
Stand
Electrolite
All The Right Friends [from Vanilla Sky soundtrack]
Everybody Hurts
At My Most Beautiful
Nightswimming

Amazon.com

How do you condense 15 years of music down to 76 minutes? In the case of this survey of the second phase of R.E.M.'s career, the answer is: Exceptionally well. The dangling carrot for diehards is two new songs; the rapid fire "Bad Day" hurtles along like the kissing cousin of "It's the End of the World as We Know It," while "Animal" is anchored by a majestic drone reminiscent of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows." In a surprising, but gratifying move, the rest of the program shortchanges the band's breakthrough, Out of Time (no "Shiny Happy People"), to better accommodate movie soundtrack contributions, and spotlight gems from the less commercial, post-Bill Berry albums Reveal and Up; with its baroque piano and multi-tracked vocal harmonies, the Beach Boys homage "At My Most Beautiful" is particularly gorgeous, while the burbling keyboards and slightly dazed singing of "All the Way to Reno" will appeal to Flaming Lips fans. --Kurt B. Reighley

Customer Reviews:

good stuff.......2007-07-18

this is a great compilation but the only reason i bought this album was for losing my religion and man in the moon...im not a very big fan of their other stuff.

GOOD MUSIC.......2007-05-16

REM have a unique sound and this CD is one of their best.

R.E.M. Rocks.......2007-05-13

I love this CD. Great song selection and a true joy to own.

Good Collection Of Hits.......2007-05-12

This is good collection of songs from R.E.M. from their Warner Brothers years but there are some hits missing. The obvious hits are there, like Man On the Moon, What's The Frequency, Kenneth?, Everyboby Hurts, etc. This collection is of their mainstream hits while there is another collection of hits "The IRS Years", which are songs from before 1988, which were hits in nerdy college radio stations.

R.E.M? G.O.O.D........2007-03-30

Enjoyed this very much. Will be checking out other cd''s of R.E.M.

And I Feel Fine...: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987

Average customer rating:

And, oh, do I feel fine listening to this collection....
Change of heart
"Music that didn't pander to an audience" - it created one
More about the remastering
Discover This Band

And I Feel Fine...: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987
R.E.M.
Manufacturer: Capitol/I.R.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

R.E.M. - When the Light is Mine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 Video Collection
Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? - The Best of the Replacements
In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003
Endless Wire
Live at the Fillmore East

ASIN: B000GTJSLM
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Tracks:

Begin The Begin
Radio Free Europe
Pretty Persuasion
Talk About The Passion
(Don't Go Back To) Rockville
Sitting Still
Gardening At Night
7 Chinese Bros.
So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)
Driver 8
Can't Get There From Here
Finest Worksong
Feeling Gravity's Pull
I Believe
Life And How To Live It
Cuyahoga
The One I Love
Welcome To The Occupation
Fall On Me
Perfect Circle
It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Tracks:

Pilgrimage (Mike's pick)
These Days (Bill's pick)
Gardening at Night(slower electric demo; previously unreleased)
Radio Free Europe (Hib-tone version)
Sitting Still (Hib-tone version)
Life and How to Live It (Live at the Muzik Centrum, Utrecht, Holland 9/14/87; previously unreleased)
Ages of You (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7/13/83; previously unreleased)
We Walk (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7/13/83; previously unreleased)
1,000,000 (Live at the Paradise, Boston 7/13/83; previously unreleased)
Finest Worksong (other mix)
Hyena (demo) (previously unreleased)
Theme from Two Steps Onward (previously unreleased)
Superman
All the Right Friends (previously unreleased; later version released on Vanilla Sky soundtrack)
Mystery to Me (demo; previously unreleased)
Just A Touch (live in-studio version; previously unreleased)
Bad Day (session outtake; previously unreleased)
King of Birds (last song cut from the best of)
Swan Swan H (live, acoustic from Athens, GA-Inside Out)
Disturbance At The Heron House (Peter's pick)
Time After Time (annElise)(Michael's pick)

Amazon.com

The songs collected on And I Feel Fine... The Best of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 are just good enough to render the previous I.R.S. years collection, 1998's Eponymous, officially dead. The latter was likely the way the masses heard R.E.M.'s underground hits on CD the first time--after all, the band had just come off of their apocalyptic breakthrough single ("It's the end of the world...") and CD players were finally hitting below the $400 mark. It did the trick. We all got up to date and it paved the way for a more sonic R.E.M. to grow into the phenomena they've become. This new version is a welcome history re-write as it pulls more from Murmur and Reckoning days and does a far better job at telling the early story--owing a great deal to the photos and in-depth notes from Anthony DeCurtis.

For our money it's worth $2 to buy the "Collectors Edition" for the massive collection of rarities on disc 2. The DVD companion to this CD is a visual goldmine. --Peter Hilgendorf

Amazon.com

R.E.M. Photos

More from R.E.M.

Lifes Rich Pageant
Document
Fables of the Reconstruction

Eponymous
The Best of the I.R.S. Years
The Best of the I.R.S. Years Video Collection

Customer Reviews:

And, oh, do I feel fine listening to this collection...........2007-03-06

I'm not going to lie to you - I like the idea of "Best-Of" & "Greatest Hits" albums in general. This medium allows for bands to gaze backwards through the annals of history so that they might view & review their work, in hopes of gathering together their best songs from a given time period. All of this is done in the hope of providing a means for which their fans (whether old, new, or as-yet-discovered) can listen to those songs in a fairly simple format. With "Greatest Hits" albums, you don't have to carry around all of the albums from your favorite bands just to hear the songs that you like the best. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved - a band gets to make a few more bucks by repackaging old material and a fan of the band only has to carry around one or two albums as opposed to 4, 5, 9, or 10 of them to get their fill of the band's music.

However, there is a dark side from whence a music listener can view a "Best-Of" album, since the whole concept of creating an album or two that will attempt to gather together a band's preeminent songs is one that has been used and disastrously abused for decades now. There are legions of rock snobs out there who disdain (quite rightly) the fact that many of these records only collect a band's singles and/or the songs that receive the widest levels of popularity & notoriety. Record companies too often get involved in the decision-making process, forcing the band to include songs just so that more records will be sold on the basis of that one song (i.e., how record companies have been pushing record sales for years, getting the dumbed-down public to buy an often crappy album for the one poppy, radio-friendly tune). "Best-Of" albums too frequently have been turned into "What-Sells-Best" albums, sacrificing content for sales.

I say all of that to say this - R.E.M.'s prior "Greatest Hits" release, In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003, was plagued by such issues, especially in terms of leaving often strong, fan-favorite songs in favor of ones that were more easily recognized by the average music-buying public. Case in point - while Automatic For The People is one of R.E.M.'s best records, it's also the fan favorite and received 4 nominations on In Time, while the critically-acclaimed New Adventures in Hi-Fi only had two songs included. Yes, an alternate track of "Leave" did make it to Disc Two, but you had to pay extra for it (even though it is an excellent remix). The band was in the thralls of a world tour in 2003 and this compendium of their years on Warner Brothers left much to the imagination. I mean, "Country Feedback" only made it on as a live track to close out Disc Two - as wonderful as the song is and as well-recorded as the live cut is, it's a travesty of justice for this song not to have been on the Disc One.

So, when I heard that And I Feel Fine was going to be released in Fall 2006 as a replacement for the nearly 2-decades-old Eponymous, released when R.E.M. left I.R.S. Records, I was filled with a mixture of excitement & trepidation. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, even with the promise of liner notes & comments left by all four members Yes, I will admit it - even the promise of long-retired drummer Bill Berry contributing to this collection did little to assuage my fears. As such, as highly- and fittingly-lauded as the band's early work is, there is much misunderstanding that revolves around the first five R.E.M. albums: there aren't any true singles until Document, the band seems overly indulgent in regards to experimentation & quirky lack of direction, and no one really knows what Michael Stipe is singing on any of those songs. I wasn't sure if the problems of over-reliance upon one album that afflicted In Time would burden down And I Feel Fine.

And I am so glad that my fears were dismissed (quite quickly at that). Each of the five albums from the I.R.S. Years (Murmur, Reckoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, Life's Rich Pageant, & Document) is appropriately and evenly represented on the 21 songs on Disc One. Four songs were chosen from each of the five albums, plus "Gardening At Night" from the Chronic Town EP. Thus, besides personal favorites such as "Moral Kiosk" off Murmur, I don't think that there's one necessary song missing between the two discs. Name a song that might be missing - I dare you. "7 Chinese Brothers"? It's there. "Disturbance At The Heron House"? Present. "Cuyahoga"? Accounted for. And even more to the point, the tracks on Disc One are arranged in a non-chronological format, with precedence given to how the songs will sound when listened to as a complete album, from song 1 to song 21, as only a mixtape should be.

There are definite highlights that must be pointed out, and they're all from Disc Two (even though Disc One is a wonderful & complete collection). The first notable selection is the 3-song live set from Boston, MA, on 07/13/1983 - "Ages of You," "We Walk," & "1,000,000." The energy of these four boys from Atlanta, GA is never more apparent than on these tracks as they flow effortlessly and seamlessly through their set. In second place comes the at-half-speed, demo version of "Gardening At Night" - the song sounds more hushed & intimate than a great many other songs in the R.E.M. pantheon. "Hyena" (in a scratchy demo version) represents my third choice, complete with the band's revealing in the liner notes that, while the song was released on Life's Rich Pageant, it was originally recorded during the Fables of the Reconstruction sessions. I've always been a fan of hearing songs in their early, unfinished, not-quite-complete phase - it gives new life to how you hear the "finished" version that you've been used to all of these years.

Do I have any complaints? Not really. As I said, there aren't really any songs that have been left off this 2-disc, 42-song compilation. If you've never listened to R.E.M. before, I would suggest you go purchase the album as soon as you finish reading this review. And I Feel Fine is what a "Best Of" album should be - representative of how a band has grown & developed over a given period of time and beautifully illustrative of the contributions that the band has made to the greater picture of music history. But in case you need just one more reason to buy this album, take this into account - it's both poignant and hilarious to read in the liner notes for Disc Two and learn how Bill, Mike, & Peter haven't always understood what Michael Stipe is singing or what his lyrics even mean, but they're certain that they have meaning for someone (and on occasion, the boys even present their differing interpretations of certain songs). So, if the band doesn't know what's going on with Stipe's beautiful mumblings, then it's OK that us listeners have also been confused for almost 25 years now.

Change of heart.......2007-02-23

I thought R.E.M. was just dismissable frat-rock all through the eighties...wow, has my mind changed. I love the jangly rock on this excellent collection...yes, R.E.M. rock for the best.

"Music that didn't pander to an audience" - it created one.......2007-02-18

During 1982-87 REM was probably the best band - possibly ever - if you define best band by great ALBUMS and great concerts. Similar to U2, REM created an audience - a big one - by original ideas that invited the audience to interpret the music. They didn't let tell you what it meant - maybe it meant nothing - but millions (billions?) THOUGHT IT DID. As Michael Stipe stated "Not everyone can carry the weight of the world". They CREATED an audience that wanted something new (the original alternative music). Nowadays - as the last line in U2's "Kite" states ("the time when new media was the big idea") audiences demand technology but the meaning or value of music is not relevant. I'd recommend this album to anyone who wants to hear America's greatest band at its creative best from a time when music could be relevant.

More about the remastering.......2007-01-07

Firstly, the music on this collection is stupendous. In the 80's, R.E.M. was the most consistently excellent, yet idiosyncratic and unconventional, band around and each release was a new gift. I don't have many quibbles with the song selections made for this best-of, and getting the second disc for not much more than the price of the single-disc version is a value. If you don't know early R.E.M. very well, this is a great place to start.

But... as several other reviewers have commented, this release was mastered to sound as loud as possible. And at first listen, it sounds great. Then, after it's on for awhile, you will probably find yourself turning the volume down, and even thinking about turning it off. That's because the mix has been highly compressed - that's how they get newer CDs to sound so much louder than old ones, but it's akin to how a loud commercial suddenly comes on when you're watching a TV show and sends you jumping for the remote to turn it down. It becomes obnoxious and irritating when everything is so loud all the time, and robs the music of all dynamics. And if you listen closely you'll hear distortion - they mix it so high that they're actually introducing clipping, which means flattened sound waves that results in a static-y edge to the sound.

Unfortunately this is a trend that has been going on with CD mastering for the last decade, though it gets very little publicity. The record companies do it because they think we like it, and actually many of us think we do, judging by a lot of the positive comments on the sound of overloud remasters. But once you're aware of it, you'll notice it, and you'll start to feel ripped off. The public needs to tell the record companies we want quality remasters that don't compromise true fidelity and range for shallow loudness and distortion. To learn more on this topic, do a web search on "loudness war".

Discover This Band.......2007-01-06

There was once a band called 'R.E.M.' and they played energetic, inventive, interesting, raw, yet somehow sophisticated jangly rock country punk. Their lead singer sounded like nobody else with sort of a baritone drawl that somehow managed to not really sound country at all, but they were from Georgia. They weren't precious or self-conscious. At the same time that a lot of groups were doing synth-pop or hair metal, this band was sorting out how to fuse art-rock with folk rock. The words the singer sang were sometimes imagistic, sometimes surreal, sometimes obscure. The drums were punchy. The bass was melodic. The guitar was sometimes jangly, sometimes ferocious. This is a collection of what that band sounded like 'in the day'. Not complete without the bonus disc, however.

Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? - The Best of the Replacements

Average customer rating:

Love from Minneapolis
What, yet another Mats compilation album?
A Great Best-of
One Historic CD
Great one disc Best of, Excellent with 2 new songs, but so short.

Don't You Know Who I Think I Was? - The Best of the Replacements
The Replacements
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

And I Feel Fine...: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987
Open Season
Another Fine Day
Rather Ripped
Besterberg: Best of Paul Westerberg

ASIN: B000ESSTNS
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Tracks:

Takin A Ride
Shiftless When Idle
Kids Don't Follow
Color Me Impressed
Within Your Reach
I Will Dare
Answering Machine
Unsatisfied
Here Comes A Regular
Kiss Me On The Bus
Bastards Of Young
Left Of The Dial
Alex Chilton
Skyway
Can't Hardly Wait
Achin' To Be
I'll Be You
Merry Go Round
Message To The Boys (New Recording)
Pool & Dive (New Recording)

Amazon.com

Chronicling The Replacements' gloriously tempestuous decade on a single disc ostensibly seems akin to reading Cliff's Notes for the New Testament: No sooner do you grow fond of the protagonist than they've nailed him up. And if that comparison sounds a tad sacrilegious, perhaps you underestimate the Mats' hallowed place in modern rock history--and the hearts of their ardent fans. Yet somehow even this condensed format focuses the songs of Paul Westerberg and playing of bandmates Bob and Tommy Stinson and drummer Chris Mars into a dramatic arc that can't be denied. The initial tracks of this 20-track collection display a band joyously besotted by nascent punk thrash, yet one not so different from the scores of similar bands tearing up local clubs in the '80s.

But by the time of Hootenanny's "Color Me Impressed" and "Within Your Reach," something magical was clearly happening within Westerberg's songwriting and the band at large, even if it was largely inspired by terminal boredom, perpetual discontent, no small amount of alcohol--and an indifference to success that was one of their greatest charms. Within two years they'd produce one of the decade's--and perhaps rock history's--most compelling albums with Let It Be and the indie movement's first grassroots anthem in "Unsatisfied." They followed it up with Tim, a collection where Westerberg seemed able to conjure similar generational marching orders ("Here Comes a Regular," "Bastards of Young," "Left of the Dial") with preternatural ease; enraptured rock critics probably thought harder about his music than he ever did. Though highlighted by such gems as "Alex Chilton," "Skyway" and such pop-smart swan songs as "I'll Be You" and "Merry Go Round," the Mats' third act dissolved into the expected, if equally star-crossed solo career for Westerberg and the tragic death of Bob Stinson, events which can't help but cast a melancholy shadow over the unexpectedly gritty new old stock recordings "Message to the Boys" and "Pool & Dive." --Jerry McCulley

Album Description

The ragged and glorious alt-rock of The Replacements made them one of the greatest and most iconic American bands of the 1980s, and inspired countless groups to come. Fronted by lead singer, pianist/guitarist, and principal songwriter Paul Westerberg, these heroes of post-punk/pre-grunge rock `n' roll fused garage band greatness with powerful pop beauty. Fueled by both thrashing energy and a lyrical and emotive sonic flow, The Replacements' kamikaze live shows and richly textured albums made them music legends.

Customer Reviews:

Love from Minneapolis.......2007-03-25

How can anyone who lives in the muck of a society that prizes commerce, populism, media savvy, and dumbed-down entertainment above all else be surprised how little popular success or money or fame the Replacements achieved in their career? But our same American culture of mass-produced cr*p-by-committee fertilized their existence, out of which sprang this wondrous musical art, an art that is nevertheless woefully underrepresented in this single CD.

Not to bleat too much, but how does Rhino justify the omission of Androgynous and Swingin' Party, which, in all of their weird, surreal, organic, raw, sloppy beauty, epitomized the immediacy that helped make Let It Be and Tim the greatest back-to-back albums by any artist in the 1980s? These songs only get better with repeated listening, unlike the Mats' pre-Let It Be punk efforts that sound like the kind of speed metal that gives skateboarding fanboys hard-ons but grows increasingly tiresome with age.

It is funny to me that as their music matured and became more melodic and interesting, many of these same fanboys accused the Mats of selling out. That instinct to keep bands stuck in perpetual adolescence always drags down great music, but thankfully, Westerberg and Co. resisted, although at the unfortunate loss of a bandmate.

Despite missing some vital tunes, I still give this album five stars for Rhino's good sense to include Answering Machine and Here Comes a Regular, and because it is still the Replacements, who even at their worst could puke out better music than the soulless, high-polish, overproduced dreck that wins Grammy awards. If there is any justice, the Mats will be fast-tracked into the RnR Hall, thus affording them the opportunity to give the middle finger to industry tastemakers who overlooked them in their prime.

What, yet another Mats compilation album?.......2007-01-16

Yeah, Yeah, this has the Twin Tone recordings that All For Nothing did not have. Sure, that makes this a better compilation of hits (what hits?) album. However, where All For Nothing had a disc of rairities, this one hopes to entice Mats fans with two new recordings. Uhh, correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Paul released like four (at least) solo albums since leaving the Mats (one could argue that the last Mats album was a Paul solo album)? I guess, Paul's solo works are different when he attaches the Mats name to it? So, uhhh, why exactly should you buy this CD? Well, if you are a fan and already have all of their stuff, there is no reason to buy this CD. I mean, come on. Chris was so indifferent about this project that he did not even bother playing drums on the two new cuts and Bob is dead. What, did you really miss hearing Tommy's bass-playing that much? Listen to some GnR for crying out loud. LOL

A Great Best-of.......2007-01-11

I'm going to keep this short and sweet: The Replacements are a "glorious footnote" in the history of rock music, a band that didn't sell enough to make an impact when they were together (at least on the superficial charts of the Eighties), but I guarentee every indie band that followed had a record or two and practiced "Can't Hardly Wait" or "Kiss Me on The Bus" to learn their instruments.

So if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, pick up this disc. I owned Hootenanny for a while back in the day, but foolishly let it slip out of my hands. So when I saw this disc, I had to get it. You can't understand alternative rock without the Replacements, REM, Joy Division, and Mission of Burma.

Do yourself a favor and get this, you won't regret it.

One Historic CD.......2006-12-19

For a compilation, this CD is awesome. It follows the Replacements from their punk rock roots to their more polished sound (lyrics and music). One of the best aspects of the Replacements was their refusal to apologize for not being famous rock stars. Sure, the critics loved them, and LET IT BE is on many top spots of top rock and roll albums of all time (as well it should be). Still, they never found the ultra-glamorous rock star lifestyle that so many seek. And their music is better for it.

The best way to listen to this is on a long, autumn drive on backroads, with the windows down and the volume loud. If you still have one of those archaic tape recorders, record a compilation tape and throw in some greats from this album. It only gets better with age.

And to address my own review title, I wish this had been two CDs. Or three.

Great one disc Best of, Excellent with 2 new songs, but so short........2006-12-05

This ablum is the cream of the Replacements catalog, but its hard not to want all of their music on this. It does not hit their twintone years, which I am suprised has not been done yet (the did it for soul asylum). But, this covers their sire years well, and is greatly complimented by the best of Paul Westerberg CD. A good starter CD, but also check out the "all for nothing/nothing for all" greatest hits released years ago, 2 cds of music with the second disc being B sides and rare recordings. You'll want all the replacements Albums after you get this one anyway, their addicting.

Average customer rating:

Rasta-punkian?
PMA Mofo's
great stuff
i still have a tape deck in my car
that's right--four stars.

Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Manufacturer: Roir
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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I Against I
Rock for Light
Damaged
Group Sex
MIA: The Complete Anthology

ASIN: B000001Q3T
Release Date: 1996-03-19

Tracks:

Sailin' On
Don't Need It
Attitude
The Regulator
Banned In D.C.
Jah Calling
Supertouch/Shitfit
Leaving Babylon
Fearless Vampire Killers
I
Big Take Over
Pay To Cum
Right Brigade
I Luv I Jah
Intro
Bonus Track

Album Description

Legendary hardcore-punk album from 1982, considered the definitive landmark for breaking the NYC hardcore scene. All material on this CD was recorded at 171-A Studios, NYC, during August, September, and October 1981, except "Pay to Cum," "I Luv I Jah," "Jah Clling Dub" recorded live at 171-A on May 16, 1981. Liner Notes by Ira Kaplan. With Lyrics.

Customer Reviews:

Rasta-punkian?.......2007-06-27

I thought that their first album would be pure punk and was slightly suprised to hear reggae music interjected between groups of songs. It gives the album a nice contrast but I'm not a big fan of reggae. I get the fact that both types of music have anti-authoritarian ideals, but it may be awhile before I decide to buy any more of their albums. Different Class Harmonica

PMA Mofo's.......2007-04-19

This is the real stuff right here. The Godfathers of hardcore. It was the craziest and fastest album of its time. The songs still influence till this day. They invented the breakdown, listen to Right Brigade... I want to show that to every kung-fu dancing emo jerk to teach them what real hardcore is. Banned in D.C. has the best intro to any song ever... nuff said. Filled with energy and positivity, this is a must have in any collection.

great stuff.......2007-02-05

So i got this cd on friday having only heard the song soul craft and at first i was a little dissapointed because it was nothing like i expected, but i listened to it a few more times and i love it if youre into any punk or hardcore this is a must have

i still have a tape deck in my car.......2006-12-10

and this goes in whenever the cd player runs out of batteries. who knows what punk really is and i'm not looking for an arguement about the subject but the people who say they like "punk" and listen to avril lavinge (spelling?) should have a copy of this record thrown at them from a moving car. this record, i think is their very best, the fastest record i've ever heard, even bad brains themselves couldn't keep the pace. rock for light has a lot of the same songs but i just feel like they're weak in comparison, maybe they were on better speed for this one, who knows...anyway, it's so much more raw and the tones of the guitars, particularly on the solos, have a marvelous presence. just one of the best records ever in any genre, it can be apreciated on the basis of sheer energy alone.

that's right--four stars........2006-08-25

Bad Brains' early recordings found themselves in so many different releases that defining anything as their "first" album is pretty dicey. The Brains' apparent "first" demos were released on CD in the late 90's in the album "Black Dots;" this album itself had been previously released in the late 80's as "Attitude: The ROIR Sessions" before getting the special edition treatment after an endorsement by the Beastie Boys.

While this isn't their best album in terms of performance and songwriting, it is certainly their most accessible. Earl Hudson's drums lead the attack, directing Darryl Jenifer's bass and Dr. Know's guitar like a drill sergeant preparing troops for war. Dr. Know, easily the most gifted guitarist in the history of punk, drops crazy power-chord rhythms and frenzied, acrobatic solos, while Jenifer reinvents rock bass with his jazz-funk runs and tight grooves. Much is made of frontman H.R.'s pioneering performance on this album; while his incredible range does sound remarkable on this album (particularly within the context of what was coming out of the D.C. punk scene at the time), the cheap effects somewhat undermine its impact.

What keeps this album from being a five-star rockfest, at least for me, is the campy production value (Black Dots, recorded in the varying rooms of some guy's house, is mixed better than this album). Most of these songs were re-recorded for the vastly superior Rock For Light album.

Average customer rating:

Great single disc compilation of short lived power pop/rock band
pop music with all the trimmings
very nice

Best
Jellyfish
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Jangle Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Solid State Warrior
Alpacas Orgling
Bellybutton
Spilt Milk
Presents Author Unknown

ASIN: B000EXDP7S
Release Date: 2006-05-15

Tracks:

Joining A Fan Club
The King Is Half Undressed
New Mistake
Now She Knows She's Wrong
Bye, Bye, Bye
Worthless Heart (Demo)
Baby's Coming Back
He's My Best Friend
All I Want Is Everything
Let 'Em In/That Is Why (Live)
No Matter What (Live)
Family Tree (Demo)
The Ghost At Number One
Too Much, Too Little, Too Late
I Wanna Stay Home
Glutton Of Sympathy
The Man I Used To Be (Live)
Calling Sarah (Live)
Ignorance Is Bliss
Think About Your Troubles

Album Description

Import only 20-track collection of their singles 'The King Is Half Undressed', 'New Mistake', 'Baby's Coming Back', 'The Ghost At Number One' and 'I Wanna Stay Home' alongside Live Favourites & Rare Demo Recordings. EMI. 2006.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered 20 Track Anthology from the Critically Acclaimed Psychedelic Pop Band that Earned their Fame in the Early 1990's. The Group Produced a Minor Hit with "Baby's Coming Back" that Received a Lot of Video Station Airplay, but Ultimately Never Set the Charts Alight. Still, the Group is Regarded as One of the Most Creative and Innovative of the Era. This Special Collection Includes Four Live Tracks Previously Only Appeared as Single B-sides plus Two Demo Tracks Originally Included on the Now Out-of-print "Fan Club" Box Set.

Customer Reviews:

Great single disc compilation of short lived power pop/rock band.......2007-01-25

From the moment these power popsters appeared on the scene they were different. Which is probably why they'll be to the 90's what Big Star was to the 70's. Jellyfish had a couple of minor hits during the 90's most notably "The King is Half Undressed" and "The Ghost at Number One" (which takes aim at those big hit singles by deceased artists, yes Elvis--and John Lennon--they are talking about you). This collection also puts together some of their live tracks and cover versions (all of which appeared on the "Joining a Fan Club" boxed set, the Japanese edition of "Bellybutton" and the "New Mistake" EP release from Japan). While there's nothing new here for fans, this is a great single compilation of the band's best material.

Is it missing a few key tracks? Absolutely but this is very good for a single compilation of the band's best material during their very brief tenure on the charts (the band only release two albums a third if you count Roger Manning and Andy Sturmur's membership as part of the band Beatnik Beat and a fourth if you consider the "New Mistake" EP which featured demos previously unreleased by the band). It might have been nice to have their live TV version (recorded for Japanese TV) of their odd arrangement of "Elenanor Rigby" included here but fans can march on over and purchase the "Joining a Fanclub" boxed set for that.

I do wish that Andy Sturmer would get back to making music on his own (rather than writing it for others to perform). Fans of Jason Falkner will also enjoy this CD as well as Jason started as a guitarist with Jellyfish before moving on to a solo career (there just wasn't any room for him to blossom as a singer/songwriter in Jellyfish). If you want the complete story though you should pick up their two offical albums and the boxed set "Joining a Fan Club" has between these three releases you'll have everything the band ever released.

pop music with all the trimmings.......2006-12-06

If you like the following artists: Squeeze, XTC, Todd Rundgren, Kings X, Owsley, Rogue Wave, Beatles (natch), Queen... than you will very much like Jellyfish! Also, check out Jason Faulkner (solo), and The Grays!

very nice.......2006-07-19

Jellyfish plays very nice and melodic pop.
This is good comprehensive 20 tracks compilation.
Contains also demo and live tracks.
Booklet and cd appearance is fine.
Booklet is good and very informative.(band/band members history and information about their recordings)
You can also try Jason Falkner production.

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

R.E.M.: The Ballads
How they spent their $40 million after signing with Warner?
Recurring Favorites
A Great Buy for any Fan!
Well Done.

In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Special Edition)
R.E.M.
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Jangle Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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And I Feel Fine...: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987
In View - The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (Snap Case)
Reveal
Best Of R.E.M.
Around the Sun

ASIN: B0000DD535
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Tracks:

Man On The Moon
The Great Beyond
Bad Day
What's the Frequency Kenneth?
All the Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star)
Losing My Religion
E-bow The Letter
Orange Crush
Imitation Of Life
Daysleeper
Animal
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
Stand
Electrolite
All The Right Friends
Everybody Hurts
At My Most Beautiful
Nightswimming

Tracks:

Pop Song '89 (acoustic b-side of Pop Song '89)
Turn You Inside-Out (from Tourfilm)
Fretless (from Until The End Of The World soundtrack)
Chance (dub) b-side from Everybody Hurts
It's A Free World Baby (from Coneheads soundtrack)
Drive (from Live Greenpeace)
Star Me Kitten (featuring William Burroughs from X-Files)
Revolution (from Batman And Robin soundtrack)
Leave (from A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack)
Why Not Smile (Oxford American version)
The Lifting (demo version b-side from Imitation Of Life)
Beat a Drum (demo version b-side from Imitation of Life)
2JN (b-side from Imitation of Life)
The One I Love (live from The Museum Of Television and Radio)
Country Feedback (live from Wiesbaden, Germany, 2003)

Amazon.com

This expanded edition covering the band's first decade-and-a-half at Warner now includes a DVD featuring a new 5.1 surround sound mix of all the album's tracks. That new bonus disc also features an October, '03 Vancouver rehearsal of the new song "Bad Day" that allows viewers the unique experience of switching between four different camera angles. Also includes the smart, network-news spoofing video for the same track.

Album Description

SPECIAL EDITION: The two-CD set adds a 16-selection CD of rarities, including live and acoustic versions of some of R.E.M.'s most popular songs, and a 40-page booklet.

Customer Reviews:

R.E.M.: The Ballads.......2006-09-19

This collection should be called "R.E.M.: The Ballads 1988-2003." Almost all of the selections are slow songs, and even though the songs themselves are mostly great (except for some mediocre recent material like "The Great Beyond" and "All the Way to Reno"), the band comes off as wimpy balladeers when they were much, much more than that. Where's "Bittersweet Me"? Where's "Lotus"? If not for the inclusion of "Orange Crush" and "Bad Day," you might think that R.E.M. just completely forgot how to rock out after they signed to Warners. Combined with the awkward track sequencing, it makes for a frustrating listen.

The bonus disc includes some cool stuff, but probably not a lot that a dedicated fan hasn't heard before.

All in all, these songs work much better in the context of R.E.M.'s full-length albums than on this one-dimensional assemblage. Representing all sides of R.E.M.'s music would have resulted in a stronger, more listenable compilation.

How they spent their $40 million after signing with Warner?.......2006-09-16

I was a fan of R.E.M. ever since I heard tracks from the just-released "Chronic Town," and my preferences are with the folkier/janglier I.R.S. rather than the stadium/studio WB years. Still, while waiting for the new IRS compilation, I figured I'd give this a spin. As somebody who already had all the studio cuts from the standard "In Time," the only reason I bought this was the added tracks and bonuses. At least the band's thoughtful enough, and also enough of savvy self-promoters, to give longtime fans bonus tracks and obscurities. As I told my son the other day, at least the band supports good causes with their millions that they continue to make and invest in responsible socially aware programs and artistic support; perhaps this is one reason the band did not call it quits as they once promised, either on the eve of the millennium or when one of the original members left?

I often wondered, as I heard their last three albums (I count "Around the Sun" although "In Time" predates it; the newest songs on the compilation fit in to the "Reveal" / "Around" sound neatly, why the band did not fold up their tent after Bill Berry left. The five or six years that this compilation documents since his departure have led the trio into more arcane directions, most of them muted and rather downbeat. When he was with the band, the previous nine or so years led the four of them into arena rock, massive hits, worldwide acclaim, and more exposure after Warner Bros signed them for $40 million, a record at least back then.

So, how does the band's evolution sound on this gathering of their best-known (not always their best quality) latter-day songs? They show off the band's increasing eclecticism, married to a "pop song" sensibility, that speaks well for their intelligence and creativity. However, "Sidewinder" gets cutesy, and I miss the dignity of another song from "Automatic," "Find the River," which fits beautifully with "Nightswimming" more than the novelty-tune weightlessness of "Sidewinder." Peter Buck's pithy liner notes note that the song was added to lighten the funereal tone of that album, and while perhaps a sensible choice, it does not endure as one of their dozen or so standout tracks from the 90s. I give this as one example of the type of decisions the band made, I suppose, in putting this together: while you may not agree with their choices, they show care was made.

Another choice, to only give one cut from "Out of Time," may seem surprising but I do not think that album's more popular tunes have worn all that well fifteen years later, and at least they left off "Shiny Happy People." Less guitar, more keys, less riffs, more depth: these qualities permeate many of the songs. They at their best do burrow deeper, and are less immediately catchy, but they do show a band refusing to recycle their sound, and for that I give them credit if not always mindless applause.

Each CD has hidden treasures, of course, and I do think that more of them and less of the already recognizable "favorites" played often to death on radio could have made this a stronger collection, which could have been 3 discs if such lesser-played tracks had been included. The CDs are well sequenced, and the bonus disc, while not timeless, does offer one song I liked better than practically all of "Monster," at least when that record appeared! "Revolution" from a dismal Batman movie's soundtrack, Buck tells us, was from the "Monster" sessions and sounds it, but maybe it was left off since it was almost too punky? It bops about as if pogoing, and reminds me of tapes from the band in the days they played frats, 1981-2. much more than almost any other song they have recorded. The lovely stripped-down demo of "Make You Smile" makes the band's increasingly obsessive studio-meets-the-spirit-of-Brian Wilson tastes more palatable taken in such a delicate dose.

The notes are welcome, the songs do remind you of what a top-notch band can be without selling out, and the lyrics do show that empathy, curiosity, and wit do survive even at the global hitmaker status, for very few bands at least, but I am happy that R.E.M. has survived in such style. While I may not be enamored with all of their work from this later stage, they do emerge, from the evidence on these two discs, with their ethics intact and their enthusiasm, if perhaps of late more subdued, still evident. I do not know if a third compilation of post-2003 will appear, but this and the I.R.S. complement the band's two phases, the light and dark side of the moon that glares from the cover(s).

Recurring Favorites.......2006-08-17

There are endless ways to assemble an R.E.M. anthology, let alone one from any other group, but this selection is marvelous. It is not only put together for their best work; it is arranged like an album. Many fans have lamented the absence of some big songs, like "Shiny, Happy, People," but this collection works well together.

Few will doubt that their music is still progressive, shimmering, and hypnotic (living up to their name). Their big hits are innovative and surreal. "Man on the Moon," "Orange Crush," and "Daysleeper" are evocative and elicit almost a subconscious response. The selection also gives us a chance to experience their worthy albums firsthand. It hardly seems redundant when one can capture "The Great Beyond," "Animal," and "All the Right Friends," after losing a chance to get them firsthand on an R.E.M. album. They also draw much of their best music. Unsurprisingly, they pull four off of 'Automatic for the People,' yet we still can enjoy the fruits of that classic, including "Find the River" and the original "Drive" on the original CD. Furthermore, "Electrolite," "E-Bow, the Letter," and "Imitation of Life" provide solid material from albums that occasionally faltered in small pockets. From the mesmerizing mid-tempo songs to their expert fast-forward work, 'In Time' in one of the most thoughtful collections presented.

The second disc is hardly a memento. The moments are mixed, but very worthy, overall. Their rendition of "The One I Love" unplugged is a completely different song. It is beautiful with a more tender meaning. "Pop Song '89" nearly does the same, but is a fine, unplugged rendition all the same. Then, we have another chance to hear "Revolution" on an R.E.M. CD, instead of on the soundtrack. "Don't Talk to Me" is another beautifully done number. The other works are subjective. I vote in favor of the more spartan arrangement of "Beat a Drum," but their live version of "Drive" doesn't even elicit for me their worst moment at a concert. On the other hand, "Turn You Inside Out," and "Country Feedback" do make nice concert souvenirs for those of us lucky enough to see one of the best concert bands ever. Other novelties abound. Edward Rice Burroughs doing his--almost literal--reading of "Star Me Kitten" provides some amusement, but doesn't wear well on repeated listenings. Their alternate versions of "The Lifting," "Leave" and "Fretless" are worthy, but not necessarily better than the originals.

R.E.M is a great band with the wise and persnickety judgment to give listeners a splendid cross-section of their work that is expertly arranged.

A Great Buy for any Fan!.......2006-02-24

I'm not the biggest fan of R.E.M., however, upon adding this to my collection I was more than pleased with what the package contained. The included flip book is full of cool tidbits about how songs on the collection were written along with a lot of cool stories about the band in general. Plus it comes with a cool full size poster of the band. All in all, I am pleased with the immense amount of songs on the collection, the fact that the band picked the songs themselves, and the in-depth flip book that came with it. A definite buy for anyone who likes their music on any level!

Well Done........2004-12-11

For old-school rock fans, this CD is great. REM's best songs including "Man on the Moon" and "Imitation of Life" plus many many many many many more are on it. Just a great CD.
Why didn't Creed get this good of a greatest hits? WHY?!?!?!

Prime Cuts: The Best of Suicidal Tendencies

Average customer rating:

A great cross-section
Strange selection of "best" ST songs
amazing!
Duh!
Suicidal Tendencies - 'Prime Cuts:Best Of' (Sony)

Prime Cuts: The Best of Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Thrash & Speed Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Lights...Camera...Revolution!
Join the Army
The Art of Rebellion
How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today
Feel Like Shit Deja Vu Controlled by Hatred

ASIN: B000002BWZ
Release Date: 1997-06-03

Tracks:

You Can't Bring Me Down
Join The New Army
Lovely
Institutionalized
Gotta Kill Captain Stupid
Berserk!
I Saw Your Mommy
Pledge Your Allegiance
Feeding The Addiction
I Wasn't Meant To Feel This/Asleep At The Wheel
Send Me Your Money
No Fuck'n Problem
Go Skate! (Possessed To Skate '97)
Nobody Hears
How Will I Laugh Tomorrow

Customer Reviews:

A great cross-section.......2006-12-06

"Prime Cuts" is a best-of album so, you either like ST or you don't. Being a 20-year ST fan, I love having a cross-section of their material. (Personally, I was surprised the "Controlled by Hatred" didn't make the cut (no pun intended). If you're not a ST fan, then this is a great introduction. They never really made it big but they had some great material. Any interest in skater-thrash or metal? If so, ST is for you.

Strange selection of "best" ST songs.......2006-11-16

This album only gets three stars from me because I genuinely believe they could have gone for a much better "best of" selection than they did. Gotta Kill Captain Stupid and Lovely wouldn't touch my top 20 ST songs. Having said that, it's still ST so it's gotta be great.

amazing!.......2006-11-08

I had this album years ago when i was in high school, for some unknown reason (young and stupid is probably a good guess), i sold it. For years i've missed the sounds of ST and wished i had it still. I'm glad i bought it again.

Duh!.......2006-01-03

Pedants would be forced to admit that this band is class. They're awesome live and are still trying to keep it real despite the detractors who want to criticise everything these guys do! Suicidal have provided just about everything to music and never get the appreciation.

At least they were bothered re-recording songs instead of just re-releasing them. The quality of music is high.

The variety is awesome.

Suicidal Tendencies - 'Prime Cuts:Best Of' (Sony).......2005-12-16

Well,what do you know?I was rummaging through some CD's I haven't heard in awhile and I came across this.'Prime Cuts' features tunes from five out of eight(at the time of this release,anyway)S.T. albums,plus two new songs "Beserk" and "Feed The Addiction".I've never been all THAT huge of a Suicidal fan,but I've always liked some of their better known material,here like "Institutionalized",their total ass kick-in-the-groin "Pledge Your Allegiance" and "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow".An added bonus to this disc is the art that appears on the back cover.Top of the line punk/thrash.Check it out.A should-have.

Average customer rating:

If you've come this far, you're not going to be disappointed.
check this out too
flashes of brilliance, but something is missing...
Some Pleasing Material On This CD
Huge Sweet Fan...What a Great Album!

Time Capsule: The Best of Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet
Manufacturer: Volcano
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Jangle Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Under the Covers, Vol. 1
The Best of the Lemonheads: The Atlantic Years
Girlfriend
100% Fun
Altered Beast

ASIN: B00004XR6H
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Tracks:

Divine Intervention
I've Been Waiting
Girlfriend
You Don't Love Me
Time Capsule
The Ugly Truth (Acoustic Version)
Devil With The Green Eyes
Someone To Pull The Trigger
Sick Of Myself
We're The Same
Where You Get Love
Until You Break
Behind The Smile
If Time Permits
What Matters
Hide
Ready
So Far

Customer Reviews:

If you've come this far, you're not going to be disappointed........2007-04-02

It's a testament to Matthew Sweet's songwriting ability that this is a best-of that misses so many of his highs. In fact, his albums also miss some of his highs. Like many Sweet fans, this reviewer's favorite (and unfortunately omitted here) tracks include the soundtrack contributions such as "Happiness" (Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy) and "Farther Down" (Can't Hardly Wait).

This disc is, however, ideal for a casually interested fan of excellent power pop that owes something to the Beatles, Beach Boys and Byrds, as well as Television (Richard Lloyd is a frequent contributor to Sweet's songs), Neil Young, Big Star, R.E.M. and other more guitar-heavy and "crunchy" and/or "twangy" alt-rock power-pop acts.

"Girlfriend", "Sick of Myself", "Time Capsule", "I've Been Waiting", and "Where You Get Love" simply had to be included, and their appearance here make the disc worth the price alone. Yes, sadly, "Winona" and "Evangeline" were omitted, but Girlfriend, from which those two songs originate, is an album also worth it's price (and, in fact, an even more enjoyable musical experience, albeit demanding more time to reveal its true worth), meaning it's more lucrative to spread the disc space around more evenly across all five of Matthew Sweet's albums from the '90s, so that casual fans can get a taste of each album's offerings, in a more quickly digestible manner.

On that level, this compilation succeeds extraordinarily well. It's just that his best work doesn't fit into a mere eighty minutes, especially when some of his best songs, for whatever reason, don't even make it to albums or even those soundtracks (like "Strange Faces", a beautiful home-recorded piano ballad only found in demo form). This disc is also just a ridiculously enjoyable listen for fans of said guitar-heavy (and sometimes piano-based) power-pop/alt-rock. Only die-hard fans lament the omission of tracks like "Come to California", "In Too Deep", "Reaching Out" and the like. Casual fans who've never heard these songs and don't want to waste too much money on more than one disc shouldn't be disappointed with the music that is actually included.

A caveat: If your lyrical tastes are more geared towards, say, James Mercer (Shins) style oblique and nearly indecipherable poetry, Matthew Sweet's simpler (and for this reviewer's money, more charming) lyrics may not be for you. That said, his unpretentious lyrics can still frequently (especially on these tracks) lay bare stunningly honest emotion and/or fun conceits that play very well against the downright filthy-fun foil of the lead guitar of the excellent Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine and Pete Phillips.

Another caveat: Don't be surprised if, like me, you end up ravenously devouring everything else of his, eventually rendering this purchase practically redundant. In fact, Mr. Sweet's Girlfriend is one of my "desert island" albums, along with R.E.M.'s Murmur, Pixies' Doolittle, The Beatles' Revolver and Television's Marquee Moon. Kimi, Altered Beast and In Reverse are ridiculously awesome, too...

check this out too.......2006-07-08

I am a huge fan of power pop with a little twang. I strongly recommend that you check out the following:
1) Teenage Symphonies To God by The Velvet Crush
2) Papa Nez: A Loose Salute To The Work Of Michael Nesmith by Various Artists
3) Nashville by Josh Rouse

flashes of brilliance, but something is missing..........2006-04-04

A lot of music fans have mused over why Matthew Sweet did not achieve greater success with the masses despite his obvious ability to write very catchy songs. "Sick of Myself" single-handedly rejuvenated my faith in the power of pop music at a time when pop seemed to have exhausted its possibilities. But in retrospect Sweet simply wasn't a very marketable commodity for the music industry, and on top of that his vocals and lyrics somehow didn't grab people. Its not that he doesn't sing with passion or feeling, but somehow the words seem to get lost in the mix. Perhaps its a production thing; regardless, the vocals on a MS album always seem to be secondary to the music and that is a no-no for any great singer-songwriter. There are some truly impressive (albeit derivative) stuff here: "What Matters" is in my opinion the greatest Byrds song never written, "Hide" is a beautiful piano ballad that wouldn't seem out of place on Badfinger compilation, "If Time Permits" has some of the most beautiful chorus harmonies not written by Brian Wilson, etc. etc. "I've Been Waiting" works well in combining catchy melody with plaintive adolescent desire, and "Girlfriend" is for the most part a great rocker. However, after the relatively simple production of Girlfriend, his later albums got bogged down in an attempt to recreate a "wall of sound" feeling, which quite frankly doesn't really work unless you're Phil Spector. Not much here can be completely discounted and the new songs fit in quite well (although I probably would have included "Evangeline" at the expense of "Ready"). Despite the undeniable quality of the music there is nothing life-changing here and ultimately great music must at least have the semblance of being life-changing. Still heartily recommended for fans of catchy, melodic pop-rock.

Some Pleasing Material On This CD.......2005-07-31

I first heard Matthew Sweet in the early nineties when 'Sick Of Myself' was getting some airplay over here in Australia. I liked the song so I went out and bought '100% Fun' on cassette. I enjoyed some of the songs, didn't like some others. So instead of buying it on CD I bought this 'Best Of' instead. My opinion of this album is the same as for '100% Fun'. Although most of the tracks are different from '100% Fun' there are only some songs I like enough to keep listening to. The rest aren't really that good. The tracks I truly enjoy are Sick Of Myself, We're The Same, If Time Permits and So Far. I guess it's not too bad to use as background music while you're doing something else (like writing album reviews!). The more attention you pay to the music the worse the songs sound, besides the few good ones. Matthew Sweet is certainly capable of writing good songs, just not enough of them.

Huge Sweet Fan...What a Great Album!.......2004-06-22

It's so nice having most of Matthew's best stuff on ONE CD. That's not to dismiss the rest of the songs that didn't make it. Still, I absolutely LOVE "Ready" & hadn't heard it before this album. (I know, some Sweet fan, huh?) "Where You Get Love" is amazing as I've also heard a live version of this one & it only gets better.

Tracks:

Repulsion
Little Fury Things
In A Jar
Freak Scene
Budge
Just Like Heaven
The Wagon
Thumb
Whatever's Cool With Me
Not You Again
Out There
Start Choppin
Get Me
Feel The Pain
I Don't Think So
Take A Run At The Sun - J. Mascis
Nothin's Goin' On
I'm Insane
Where'd You Go - J. Mascis & The Fog

Customer Reviews:

the sun is shining with a new intensity today..........2006-03-28

This just arrived in the mail and as I was playing it I realised that I hadn't heard Freak Scene for years. At that moment the sun came out and I was lurched back to my youth and sweaty nights at the Pink Toothbrush where that song was guaranteed to fill the dance floor.

Today is a good day.

4 stars not 5 as Pond Song should have been on here. Otherwise it is great.

Out There... Jr........2005-10-25

Odlicna kolekcija pesama jednog od najzanimljivijih americkih bendova nezavisne scene. Ne znam kako i zasto, ali Dinosaur Jr. su uvek bili i ostali nezasluzeno u senci Sonic Youth i Nirvana.
Ovo je kompilacija koja ce vas vratiti u vreme kada je nezavisna scena i tekako bila uticajna, a pesme poput Little Fury Things, Just Like Heaven, Whatever's Cool With Me, Out There... potsetiti na neka bezbednija vremena.

Got a knack for being right!.......2005-09-26

From there inception as a post hardcore sonic terrors until the end as grunge survivors, 'Ear Bleeding Country' Dinosaur Jr's best of covers a great deal of territory. Full of great tracks, some classic some merely good, the one thing you should take away from listening to this collection is that J Mascis, boy could he play guitar. A generation of who were brought up on grunge owe that guitar sound to J, one of the few originals of the last 25 years.

What this fails to do however is give a good overview of the band. The early tense savagery of the more punk albums especially isn't really on show on this collection, and is rather under represented. However its still great fun, often thunderous, and almost reveling in a slacker ethic. Though I'm sure every fan would have come up with a different best of 19 songs, this is still as decent a starting place you'll find for the band, after which if you're interested you should get 'You're Living All Over Me' then 'Bug' then 'Greenmind' and 'Whatevers Cool With Me', followed by the rest at random. Of interest long time fans still is the pretty flower of a 'Take A Run At The Sun' which J did for a movie soundtrack, and is probably the best example of his softer sider you'll ever find.

The other high lights, the first seven songs, 'Whatevers Cool With Me', 'Start Choppin', 'Feel The Pain' and 'I'm Insane'. Really just enjoy and then hopefully you'll discover the rest of what the band has to offer.

Not Bad, But Not What I Expected.......2004-07-24

Okay, this is a review from someone who's not familiar at all with DJ's catalogue. I picked this up because I had remembered borrowing the Where You Been album from a friend and absolutely loving it. So I came to this expecting more of the same but unfortunately came away a little disappointed. The earlier stuff isn't really to my taste and I actually found it a little boring. From track 11 (the start of the three Where You Been tracks) onwards, things started to pick up and it was a bit more interesting. Overall though, if you're not a fan, I would recommend buying Where You Been instead. That's what I should have done in the first place!

Okay compilation.......2004-06-27

This could've been a better Best of CD if it were a two disc complete with live tracks and more tracks from the albums. But we do get the hard to find tracks Take a Run at the Sun, Just like Heaven and Whatever's cool With me. But most of the tracks from the eariler albums like Dinosaur, You're living all over Me and Bug are gone. From Dinosaur we only get Repulsion which is a pretty good song, but why not include Bulbs of Passion? J Mascis himself said it's one of the songs that really made them what they were even before they became Dinosaur jr. On YLAOM the tracks Lose, the Lung and Show me the Way are skipped over. Lose is probably Lou Barlow's best contribution to the band, the Lung is just great and Show me the Way is amazing for a cover song. We do get the awesome In a Jar and Little Fury things though. From Bug the tracks They Always Come, Pond Song and Let it Ride are missed out on.

Actually come to think of it only two tracks from each album are featured on this compilation. And they're usually the more popular songs like Feel the Pain (Without a Sound) and I'm Insane (Hand it over). Not to say they're bad songs, it's that the Dino jr veterans would like to see the less accessible tracks from the OOP albums on here.

With that being said pick this up if you're a newcomer to Dinosaur Jr or J Mascis's work. But if you've grown to Dinosaur Jr like I have then skip it and seek out the other albums.

I would also like to say that sometime later this year You're Living all Over me, Dinosaur and Bug are getting reissues. Keep that in mind.

Playwutchyalike: The Best of Digital Underground
Average customer rating:

I dig it.

Remember these tunes?

The correct DU greatest hits album to buy

Awesome album!

A must for fans!

Playwutchyalike: The Best of Digital Underground
Digital Underground
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
West Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Experimental Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00009KU86
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Tracks:

Same Song (Edit)
The Way We Swing
Underwater Rimes (Remix)
The Humpty Dance
Freaks Of The Industry
Doowutchyalike
Sex Packets
Packet Man
Nuttin' Nis Funky
Heartbeat Props
No Nose Job
Kiss You Back
Wussup Wit The Luv (Single Version)
We Got More

Album Description

Comprehensive overview of their groundbreaking Tommy Boy years drawn from the albums Sex Packets, Sons Of The P, The Body-Hat Syndrome, and the EP This Is An EP Release. 14 golden nose nuggitz. Tommy Boy/Rhino. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

I dig it........2006-01-31

When choosing between this collection and their "Sex Packets" album, I went with this. I like "Sex Packets" alot, but half of that album is here, and half of this collection is that album. I also think the best of that really made it here too, not to mention the other seven tracks we get. I admit, a big plus with "Playwutchyalike" was getting "Kiss You Back". That track is awesome, and the rest here holds up as well. My only beef, like others have mentioned, is the edit of "Doowutchyalike". It fades out at around 4 minutes, when the full version is over twice that. That song had a great video too. Overall though, a good collection from one of the party/dance groups of rap.

Remember these tunes?.......2005-10-12

Worth having in your collection for The Humpty Dance and Doowutchyalike alone, which never fail to please audiences from 4 to 64 when played in the car or at parties. Not all the songs are up to that level, though. Sex Packets is probably the one to get; the short version of Doowutchyalike here really bugs me.

The correct DU greatest hits album to buy.......2005-09-14

This collection of DU's greatest hits is complete with "We Got More" from their more recent release Future Rhythm. If you're looking for DU's greatest hits, go with this one. The remastered collection contains many remixes, not original cuts.

That said, there are some "blemishes" on this disc. The version of "Doowutchyalike" on this album is shortened (it ends at the radio fade). And "Same Song," "Underwater Rimes," and "Wussup Wit the Luv" are non-original cuts (see the track listing for details). However, if you're going for a greatest hits, these songs probably aren't what you're worried about.

Enjoy and doowutchyalike.

Awesome album!.......2005-09-14

I never realized until now how great this 80's group is. Other than the awesome artwork on the cover, personally, the best songs on this cd are "Kiss you back" and "The Humpty Dance". I listen to it all the time! Great cd.

A must for fans!.......2005-08-04

This CD is a compilation of the best that is DU. It takes you back to the time and place where you first listened this this funky, fun music.

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