New Wave music reviews

This is a great album. A must for any true OMD fan.

OMD was probably one of the most overlooked bands of the early 80's. They hit it big with 'So in Love' and 'If You Leave', but before then were many albums of unsurpassed orginality. Many of those songs are captured here. Many versions are equal to their studio counterparts, but some are even better. 'Annex' and 'The More I See You' fair very well and the version of one of their early hits, 'Enola Gay', is in my opinion, better than the original. This is a great disc for anyone who appreciates OMD's unique music. Most of these songs are 20 years old, yet they still sound great. This is a must-have for any fan!

OMD has always been one of my favorite bands since I bought their first two albums around 1980. This is the era before OMD "hit it big" on the US Top 40 charts; the era in which they were the most creative and new. The musical selections here are right on target for what they were doing during these early years. It's nice to get the rarely heard "Annex." This has a very pleasant version of the beautiful "Of All The Things We've Made" as well as two other songs from their ground-breaking "Dazzle Ships" album. It is interesting to see how far ahead of their time they really were. Most OMD fans already realize that. This collection just proves it even more.

Let's get some fact straight.An experienced punk rocker won't find this �punkier stuff� as other reviewers have.Maybe a very weird form of punk-metal ? This is,nonetheless,rawer and excrutiatingly HEAVY,pre
synths,early Numan material.These aren't songs s.body
dug out and took out of a secret vault,proof to it is I have the same album on vinyl ,dated 1984.The additional value here
are the bonus tracks-which almost duplicate the original number-and the remastering,which is almost welcome,the
original sound being Ok anyway.These songs retain the robotic vocals,staccatto guitars and dry rythmic section which are so tipically Numan,with the addition of such strong,fierce playing no metalhead will be dissapointed.The accompaning booklet has much more one could ask for,and certainly makes for a heavier box indeed.I really appreciate this kind of generosity from a record label.
SIMPLY GORGEOUS.

Recent praise has come to Numan from the M.Manson and NIN camps for his technovibe synth stuff. However, in-the-know hardcore punkers know Numan's pioneering mastery of brutally crunchy punk metal. These songs predate the now-tame semi-distorted Judas Priest and Quiet Riot early 80's metal, and surpass that with advanced corrosive guitar violence that did not reach popularity until SLAYER and METALLICA. You heard me ! Songs like Numan's Basic J would have stood out as the "the really heavy punk one" amongst Metallica's Kill Em All record. Raw, punky, harsh seedy downtown lyrics with earnest artistic freshness. The band is rough but punchy and full of awsome riffs and hooks. A must-have for any fans of Numan, punk, metal.

In the liner notes, Gary says, as if to apologize to the techno fans, "I wrote the 'punky' songs with the sole intention of obtaining a recording contract".....but Gary, please don't deride this stuff, for it RULES! Brilliant songs, with almost all strong, awesome trax like That's Too Bad, Bombers, My Shadow in Vain, Something's in the House, Mean Street, Crime of Passion, Life Machine (poignant song with original subject matter), Basic J., Fadeout 1930, etc. etc. This is a must-have gem for fans of old-school '70s glam/punk, yeah! Get it and you won't be sorry!

another great compilation from rhino. they make the 70's pop music scene look much better than it really was. for the most part, the obvious choices are here (the artists, not necessarily the songs) - raspberries, badfinger, big star, cheap trick - as well as some who are just as deserving but less well-known - nick lowe, dwight twilley, flamin' groovies. as we all know, cds can never replace vinyl albums as far as the packaging goes, due to size limitations, but rhino sure gives it a helluva try. the packaging in the poptopia series is A+. the booklets have short but interesting essays (many by the featured performers), there are abbreviated band histories, great photos, several of the original 45 covers, and great "pop" artwork (in bright primary colors). even the jewel case is a small marvel: the tray card (beneath the cd spindle/holder) is a 3d depiction of a 45 record spinning on a turntable! unfortunately, as is often the case with rhino releases, this entire series went out-of-print shortly after it first appeared.

I am a huge fan of power pop and if you are too you might already be familar with most of these songs. If you are just getting into this great genre this is a wonderful starting off point. I could probably write a review on each of these songs but I will spare you that! This collection has so many definative Power Pop tunes such as the shimmering September Girls, the bubblegumish I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, and the soaring Starry Eyes. While it's hard to pick a favorite song on this album, the reason i bought it in the first place is Bram Tcaikovsky's Girl of My Dreams. This is a great 'lost' song of the seventies.

It's remarkable that amidst all the garbage passing for music in the '70's, Rhino was able (as it seems only they can!) to compile this gem of a collection. It's easy to quibble about certain selections, but the important thing is bringing to light artists who NEVER got their due, or have been unjustly forgotten. Examples include the Flamin' Groovies (Shake Some Action might just be the all-time "shoulda been a hit"), Big Star (what can I say that hasn't been said already - how many bands today owe a huge debt to these guys?), The Records, Bram Tchaikovsky (I'd love to see "Strange Man, Changed Man" come back in print), and Shoes. Anyone who likes guitar-based pop with hooks that grab you around the throat and won't let go, and that you can't get out of your mind for days, get this disc, slap it on, and lose yourself in pure pop heaven! The only danger is , you'll start to think things like "Let's see, Starland Vocal Band had a monster hit in the '70's, but nobody ever heard of Big Star..."

Got the album when I was in 9th grade back in 1979.It blew me away.It is still one of my favorites to this day.This was back when hard rock really meant something.If you listen to JP and have not heard this one then it should be at the top of your list period ! Truly, Halfords vocal range is staggering along with KK Downing and Glen Tipton on guitar providing enough power to light a major city for a month ! Get this cd now and listen to "Sinner" and "Victim of Changes" ! You'll see why all modern bands cannot reproduce or touch this level of ferocity in song composition, let alone the old school sonic attack in this long gone form of music

This is from a time when live albuns meant something, not just a bunch of songs put togehter, overdubbed in the studios to sell some more. PRIEST is terrific here, with Les Binks on drums. This ediction, with the extra tracks, is simply perfect.

Period. With 4 extra tracks. I would of gone haywire for live HB4L in high school. This is JP at their best. "Tyrant". "Running Wild" - up tempo and brutal. This goes on the "desert island" must list.

If The Only Ones had released nothing other than "Another Girl, Another Planet,"- conceivably the best rock song ever-their prominent place in the annals of rock would have been assured. The band, fronted by the enormously talented and almost equally self-destructive Peter Perrett, thus can hardly be faulted for breaking the impossible promise of that, their second single. Still, their three CBS-funded records-uneven as they are-are filled with some truly great rock songs.

Largely ignored by both fans and critics, "Remains," the band's quietly released (French-only) posthumous demos collection, is dismissed as a mere odds and ends afterthought, and is rarely if ever regarded as part of the core Only Ones oeuvre.

But despite the cold shoulder the album has suffered, it is quite simply the most consistently excellent of all The Only Ones' longplayers, and possesses an across-the-boards no frills production that adds an air of authenticity to the proceedings, jeopardized by the time of the band's previous longplayer, the compressed-sounding, Colin Thurston-produced "Baby's Got A Gun." Despite having been recorded over several years at various studios and under various conditions, Robert Ash's and Peter Perrett's reliance on stellar instrumentation (due in no small part to the intermittent presence of Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook [misspelled "Tillbrook" on both the original LP as well as the CD-reissue], whose guitar gets a technical workout he has been able to display in only one of his own band's songs, "Yap. Yap. Yap."), allows for a natural echo and thus provides a relaxed spaciousness to the recording.

Missing on Remains are the ultimately humorous lyrical histrionics that kept listeners ever-guessing Perrett's true intent. Previously, Perrett could keep a straight face while following a line as cruel and dismissive as "I see a woman with death in her eyes/And I don't have the time to pray/For her salvation or for her soul/She goes her chosen way" with the inexplicable turnabout of "I got us into this I gotta get us out/It's you and me all the way/From here to eternity/It's you and me all the way" Were we laughing with him or at him? If it was all a joke, he wasn't telling.

Such ambiguities, however, are no where to be found on Remains, opening as it does with a trio of ever-gloom-and-doomier songs: "Prisoners," a laid-back piano-bolstered rocker which was given an incongruous country accent on the Peel Sessions record; the blues-inflected "Watch You Drown," in which Perrett's lament on the hopelessness of love is reinforced by Tilbrook's one-string, teary-eyed workout; and "Flowers Die," a funereal dirge in which Perrett moans, "I feel so helplessly alone/alone/alone/alone," as John Perry's solo answers this dying whimper with a ferocious roar. The first side closes with, "My Rejection," another highlight, complete with a rousing (and uncredited) gospel choir. (The master of this track was apparently not used for the CD release; it's plagued with pops and ticks.)

Side Two opens with "Baby's Got a Gun," the missing title track from the band's third studio outing. On that uneven album, the song might very well have been a highpoint. Here, it just sounds like jokey filler. Side Two continues with three more Perrett originals, as well as a cover of the Small Faces' "My Way of Giving" (excised from the CD release). "Hope Valley Blues" and "Counterfeit Woman" are especially successful here, both further exploring Perrett's unrelenting, almost unbelievable despair. It's no surprise then, to hear reports of his sordid tenure with heroin addiction, which plagued him during The Only One's existence, and reportedly persisted into the 90s.

The original album came with a bonus EP, three of whose compositions survived the transition to the CD format, "Don't Hold Your Breath," "I Only Wanna Be Your Friend," and the early-era rocker, "Oh No." The fourth track, "Broken Arrows," harkens back to the pre-Only Ones England's Glory, and is available on that CD re-issue.

Finally, the CD appends a take of the Christmas chestnut "Silent Night," as well as the excellent, previously unreleased "Don't Feel Too Good."

After a decade-plus hibernation, Perrett finally returned to the studio in 1996, releasing the stupendous "Woke Up Sticky" record, a remarkably fresh and vital collection that belies Perrett's ongoing personal (and interpersonal) troubles.

Welcome back Peter, may you find the hope and happiness that you have given your fans!

A great album of outtakes and the like from Britain's Only Ones. A great version of Prisoners, allegedly Keith Richards' favorite Only Ones song, plus a heroine addict's version of Silent Night, and a great love song called Don't Hold Your Breath, which is just waiting for a savvy band to cover it. The second track, Watch You Drown, is mesmerizing...for all people who think the Only Ones only did Another Girl Another Planet!

I got this cd brand new and at a bargain price (3.00). What a steal that was. First of all, it has some great songs from the 80's that I've never seen on a compilation such as the mysterious "Captain of her heart", one of the best hits of the 80's. "Could've been" by Tiffiny is a sweet song. If she knew what she wants by the Bangles is in my opinon their best song.Heart and Soul by T'Pau is sexy. Most of these songs are great 80's pop and alot of fun. They capture the heart of the 80's.

This cd is one of the best 80's compilations, not only does it have cool new wave love songs like "Save A Prayer" by Duran Duran (Simon Le Bon was completely underrated as a songwriter), but also teen pop hits by the likes of Tiffany and Debbie Gibson! This set takes me back to grade school....ah, the memories!

Every songs from this CD are good and quite famous back in the 1980s. So it is great to have them all in one CD. The sound quality of the CD is also very good. Recommended.

I'm relatively new to BC's music, so here are some quick thoughts from a newer, younger fan. BC's music tends to be infectiously catchy and does an excellent job of conveying emotion while still having 80's pop sensibilities. Think of only the best U2 songs and you're in the ballpark. This album seems more similar to their fantastic debut, 'The Crossing', than the sophomore effort, 'Steeltown'. Thus, fans of TC will likely enjoy this if you never got to hear it, or if you were a lil' disappointed in the gloomier aura of 'Steeltown'. Highly recommended for those who want 80's music with real heart and soul. The only complaint i can register with this album is that the bonus tracks aren't all that great- the two remixes aren't as good as the originals, which are already on this album. This CD can also be found cheaper than the $20 Amazon price (I've seen Tower Records carry it for $15)

The fact that so many people consider Big Country to be a 'one hit wonder' is perhaps one of the biggest mysteries of the universe. What I also find rather odd is that 'In A Big Country' is considered by many to be the best of their work. All I have to say about anyone who thinks this is that 'In A Big Country' is likely the only song by Big Country that they have heard.

Now although I am in my mid-30's, it wasn't until the early 90s that a friend of mine introduced me to Big Country. And since then, it has been one of my perennial favorites. I would even go so far as to say that it is perhaps the most original music I have ever heard (and when it comes to music, originality is pretty non-existant). I currently own Steeltown, The Crossing, and The Seer. And although I am a big fan of all of these CDs, The Seer is a particular favorite of mine. Now I have to admit that when it comes to music, I often cannot really pinpoint what it is about a given song or album that appeals to me, this one just flat-out does the job. So go out and buy it. And see for yourself why I consider Big Country to be perhaps the most under-rated band of all time.

Big Country's third studio album is a must-have for every fan of good, down-to-earth, well-played guitar music. By far my favorite song on it is "Eiledon" which brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. After all these years, and even though I did see them live twice after that, I am still not over the fact that they had to cancel their tour for this album (at least the German leg) because one of the members had fallen ill - but I still have the tour poster! All of these songs with their distinctive Big Country "bagpipe guitar" sound and their beautiful, evocative lyrics are still as good as they were then, and all of them will have you singing along, snapping your fingers, tapping your feet - you will not be able to sit still listening to it. Get it, it's wonderful - thank you, Stuart, you are sorely missed.

I do wonder about the future status of this great collection, which seems to be supplanted by the recent 2-disc "Best of Bowie". The new one seems interesting enough and contains much of the same material, but how can it be a "best-of-Bowie" without "Starman"? An egregious omission, to be sure. Of course, the other collection contains material of the last ten years (this one only gathers his works through 1993), but Bowie's essential work remains in the 1970's and 1980's. This collection of singles is a little frustrating at times, with truncated single versions of classics like "Space Oddity", but it is nonetheless a very satisfying collection and worth seeking out. Among the 150-odd "best-of" collections in my personal library, this remains one of my very favorites.

I agree with the previous reviewer when he states that it's almost impossible to conceive how this fantastic 2 disc set is buried so deeply and is so hard to find. I'm not even sure of how much longer it's destined to stay in print, given the new 2 CD "Best of Bowie" that's been released this past year and includes a number of the same songs. That being said, this is a set that should be in your collection, and includes all of the songs on the "Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2" Singles collection in one set.

Even after one listen, you'll be amazed at how many of the Bowie songs here that you instantly recognize. It includes almost all of his hits from 1969's Space Oddity up through "Black Tie White Noise" circa 1992?ish. Where else can you snag hits like "Ziggy Stadust", "Suffragette City", "Space Oddity", "Changes", "Life on Mars?", "Heroes", "Sound and Vision", "Rebel Rebel", "Fame", "Young Americans", "Look Back in Anger", "Golden Years", "Ashes to Ashes", "China Girl", "Modern Love", "Blue Jean", "Under Pressure", "Let's Dance", "Never Let Me Down", and "Jump They Say" in one collection? The only true stinker here is the Bowie/Mick Jagger duet "Dancing in the Streets" *shudders*, but other than that, everything is amazing.

In conclusion, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "The Singles" while you can, because it's the best 1-shot David Bowie fix available. Enjoy.

It's tough to figure out why this superb two-CD release is buried so deep within the bowels of amazon.com's database. I figured it would pop to the top of Bowie's stuff on a generic search, replete with hundreds of reviews. And yet...here it sits with "no image available," two posted reviews to date, a rank of 72,000+ and some confusion vs. similarly-named imports (which further muddle the situation with staggered Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 releases).

That's all a shame, because Bowie's 'Singles Collection' is nothing short of fabulous. And, as other reviewers have pointed out, even though it's not obvious from the slim info provided on this page, you get *all* the Vol. 1 and 2 hits wrapped into a single package.

Bowie's career has been a spectacular series of imaginative re-invention...of both his music and himself. Throughout all that, he's never lost his relevancy, his musicianship, or his integrity. Compare that to other long-time acts: The Stones staying power is impressive, but you can make a case that their musicianship has been in a tailspin since Mick Taylor left in 1975 (okay, one man's opinion); Madonna's re-re-re-invention of herself seems calculated and attracts derision (the acquired British accent ended it for me, even though I was a fan through 'Ray of Light'). There are countless others who lost their relevancy and simply faded away.

The thing that will strike you listening to this compilation is the sheer number of Bowie tunes that have been seared into our collective consciousness. It's a staggering lifetime achievement.

No Jimmy is alive and well and has a recording contract in Germany and Europe.

This is an awesome CD of all his singles that were released primarily in the UK, as he's had less success here in the USA.

The eighties are not my favorite decade when it comes to pop music. Nevertheless, some great pop music was recorded during those years, some of it by Jimmy Somerville, who was lead singer of Bronski beat and, later, the Communards. Both of those groups are represented here but there are also some of Jimmy's solo songs, too. Jimmy's distinctive falsetto voice could not be mistaken for any other. It is worth pointing out that Jimmy was gay and this is reflected in the lyrics of many of the original songs. I'm not sure how well Jimmy's music did in America but he was, for a while, an important singer on the British scene.

Bronski beat had six UK hits but only the first four are included here. Hit that perfect beat (a top three hit) and Come on come on are missing. Two of the others also made the top three, these being Small town boy and an unlikely medley (with Marc Almond) of I feel love (Donna Summer) and Johnny remember me (John Leyton). Why made it to number six while It ain't necessarily so made the top twenty.

The Communards had a UK number one hit with Don't leave me this way, a cover of a song that had been a hit in the seventies for two different singers - Thelma Houston and Harold Melvin. Harold's version charted higher in the UK but Thelma's version went to number one in America. I enjoy all three versions but the Communards' version features not only Jimmy's excellent lead singing but also excellent vocal support by Sarah Jane Morris, a singer otherwise unknown to me.

The Communards had one other UK top five hit - another cover, this time Never can say goodbye, originally a hit for Gloria Gaynor - and one other UK top ten hit, the original song, So cold the night. Their other UK hits were You are my world, Disenchanted, Tomorrow, For a friend and There's more to love.

Jimmy had five UK hits without either group, the biggest of which was You make me feel mighty real, a top three hit. A cover of To love somebody (Bee Gees) made the UK top ten. Comment te Dire adieu (featuring June Miles Kingston) made the UK top twenty. His other UK hits were Read my lips and Run from love (this one features Claudia Brucken).

Despite the omission of one major UK hit and one minor hit, this is an excellent collection of music by one of the best British pop singers of the eighties.

My guess is that aralissia refers the GREAT SYLVESTER that died from AIDS related complications December 16, 1988.

To my knowledge Jimmy Somerville is very much alive and continues his talented, humanitarian, and creative entertaining style, and supportive to social issues.

So I bought this album again after playing the original vinyl to death... I bought it first years ago... 30 now and this album still raises a smile... U just have to listen to Bedrock and Ramrod to start grinning at the superb writing style of this guy... then experimenting in sound with the next few tracks... Then we get The Only Good Christian... Has to be listened to to be believed... a super track...
All in all this album is a must for all you people who like their music on a different vine... Just catch OKFM and you'll know what I mean...
Five stars are well deserved with this one... after all where else can u find so many styles of music on one cd?

I say "span" because the music on this cd spans the first decade of Foetus & spans so many different kinds of music he did in that time. There are some songs with Foetus's pared-down minimal jazz-swing sort of. There's a song with a sample straight out of The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. There's some completely ambient music with nothing but silence & what sounds like some looped scratching/twisting. There's a song,"The Only Good Christian Is Dead", that feels to me almost like a good ole Mississippi hoedown -- made putrid & nightmarish by Foetus. Toward the end of some of the earliest crazy bizarre quasi-dance songs. & OKFM, the first Foetus song from the first Foetus release, is so wild. I've never heard anything else like it. Have I already said this is 20 songs from Foetus singles? Do you already konw that? Anyways, Sink is good.

i honestly don't really like this album that much. i'm just giving it five stars cuz i love 'dead christian' and 'wash'. the rest is cool, but there could be way more to the music. it feels like there's a lot missing. he has cool ideas though. really goofy. he sounds like an announcer at a rollerskating rink or something and he really really likes his job. and then there's the really loud drums... the drums rule so much. they just sound so good. it's like 'stomp' style industrial or something. but it could be a lot better.

the two songs i mentioned are great. there's some other goodies, but i'm mostly giving this a high rating cuz i want to see what other artists amazon is gonna recommend because i like this.