Editorial Review

As the golden-haired, frog-throated chanteuse of the Velvet Underground, the German born Nico cast a decadent spell. Her cool, detached performances, in direct opposition with the feel-good hippie vibe of the 1960s, influenced the punk scene of the 1970s. This collection serves as an excellent sampler of Nico's work, beginning with her first single for Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham's then-new Immediate label (a 1965 cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "I'm Not Sayin'") and spanning her Velvet Underground contributions and her stunning first four solo albums. Her ethereal cover of the Doors' "The End" matched with material by producer John Cale, Lou Reed, and Jackson Browne, as well as her own doomy compositions, illuminate her unusual sense of style. The silent hero here, however, is Cale, who served as the perfect collaborator, elevating Nico's worldview with his often gorgeous, always sympathetic musical backing. Read more

Reviews (13)

the beautiful and the damned
Nico is the most under-rated female vocalist in recording history.Were it not for the valiant efforts of Danny Fields after the break-up of the original Velvet Underground, and others along the way, who really heard her voice - the tragic majesty of that voice - long before the rest of us - perhaps even this anthology would not be available to us.As others have noted, altho we get a solid compilation here - there are some notable exceptions.One wishes someone would issue "Behind the Iron Curtain" on CD. With all the junk out on CD today, is it really that difficult to re-release one of the great masterpieces of this unsurpassed diva?Nico's rendering of "My Funny Valentine" is in my opinion the greatest of all time - what I listen to when I really want to cry to music.

Classic
She was the Velvet Underground's tambourine-shaking chanteuse, an influence on punk and goth, and the dark side to the vast expanse of pop music. In her solo career, Nico released some of the best music in all of pop-dom, full of despair, darkness and beauty.
Roots of Goth
While I love the Velvet Underground, I'll admit I've never been a fan of Nico's proto-goth solo career.Over half of this compilation is drawn from The Marble Index, Desertshore and The End, which means lots of long drawn out harmonium chords and Nico's Teutonic junkie poetry, with old VU pal John Cale's sporadic attempts to inject some semblence of order to the proceedings.Goth rockers may owe Nico an enormous debt, it's just not this reviewer's cup of tea although I'll admit that when it works, as on "Janitor of Lunacy," the results can be pretty awesome.Too often though, the result is something like the endless, pointless and unlistenable version of The Door's "The End."
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Subjects:  1. Euro-Dance    2. Experimental    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (7)

Underrated
Yes this album is not a best of. It's just a cheap re-release of their 1984 album 'Music You Can Dance To'. Anyway. The Music. I think this is one of Sparks best albums, even though Sparks fans tend to overlook it. 'Change' for one is just an amazing song. 'The Scene' has got a great keyboard hook, something like the Mortal Combat theme, then their is the Citzen Kane inspired 'Rosebud', which is one of the catchiest on the albums. Like most albums, their is a weak song. On this album, it's 'Fingertips' it's just bland, nothing at all special.

it really is music that you can dance to
I was first introduced to this band back in 85, and they just didn't do it for me. About a year or so later, I was in a club in college and fell in love with the song 'Music that you can dance to' and have since grown to appreciate the band.
FOR "#1 IN HEAVEN" FANS!!!
Yes...Sparks have had their share of negative criticism ever since 1979's "No. 1 Song in Heaven," but somewhere in there was a wave of new fans built on stylish dance beats and classic Mael humour! "No. 1. Song in Heaven" was not an ending of the band, but a vision of things to come. Read more

Subjects:  1. Glam Rock    2. New Wave    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Popular Music    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Synth Pop   

Reviews (7)

All aboard for fun time
Not much to say, it's just great record. I listen to it all the time.It always cheers me up.

Killy City.....
~ I'm sick of keeping quiet, and I am the wild boy, Mental Neon
Along with New Values, Kill City is some of his best stuff. Too bad you can't get the CD in the green vinyl color! I know a lot of people think his Stooges days where best. I lived through those recordings when they came out, and never cared for any of it. Kill City is patchy at times, but it works in it's favore! The music is great, and emotion behind the lyrics is genuine. When I listen to this, I feel transported to a dank motel room with flashing neon outside the window. I also love those synthesizer solos. Just plain cool! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Detroit Rock    3. Glam Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (13)

Not the best of Iggy's work
The Igster has done some great stuff since the earlier days, and some not-so-great.This is the latter category.I gotta say Iggy does challenge Jonathan Richman for the best bad lyrics in his special rendition of "Louie Louie" here:
Iggy steps into a new era.
Iggy comes over as a wizened, erudite street poet on this one.American Caesar still sounds fresh and hip, but the melodies also evoke classic Iggy albums like Lust for Life and Soldier.If you liked the aforementioned albums, rush out and buy American Caesar!If you have never heard any of these albums, but know you like your rock n' rollers literate and wild at the same time, you will probably like American Caesar!

PARENTAL WARNING:THIS IS A GREAT IGGY ALBUM
I have just recently gotten into The Stooges, and Iggy's solo classics (The Idiot/Lust For Life.....if you don't have these, you don't deserve a stereo...make that true for the Stooges albums as well).I bought this from a used cd shop down the block, just because it was cheap and I had heard from people it was good.It was really an afterthought, but I put it in my test stereo (the one I try new stuff out in before I ruin the foundation of the house with the big stereo eating up the front wall of the room)...I listened to a couple songs, but nothing was doing it for me, probably because I was still reeling from hearing The Idiot for the first time.Last night, nothin to do, put this on, and jammed my ass off. NUMBER ONE: This is great songwriting, that is the key to this album...I was too focused on the music and the studio sound, seeing if it would match the ambience of his older stuff, but that's not the way to listen to this....Sure, the music's great, a nice mix of Rock and some really great almost-ballads and whatthef*cks that only Iggy could do...The love songs, uh-huh, can't hang with that, but that's only two songs out of 16....Album Highlights:Hate, F*ckin' Alone (my anthem), Plastic & Concrete (nice&simple), Louie Louie....the list goes on, can't wait to listen to it again....maybe this time I'll try to shatter the windows with it.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Detroit Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Proto-Punk    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (9)

Superb tribute to Kerouac
Kerouac enthusiasts are well-served with recordings of their master's work read by others. I can think of several such albums already available, mainly of his well known books: On The Road, The Dharma Bums, Visions of Cody, Big Sur, and Mexico City Blues. There are also Jack's own recordings, released on a 3-CD Rhino Records set, in which he tends to explore more unfamiliar territory, such as his Pomes All Sizes, Old Angel Midnight, and Book of Blues, with just the occasional excursion into the more familiar realms of The Subterraneans, Desolation Angels, Lonesome Traveler, and Visions of Cody.
A Tribute in Words, Music & Voices
Now and then a CD gets better the more you listen. Such is the case with Kicks Joy Darkness, a tribute to Jack Kerouac. It was released in 1997, but I recently rediscovered it and put it in my car so I could listen again. I'm glad I did.
No, no suicide, wine please, wine...
A well chosen and diverse mix of musicians, poets and writers contribute intimate interpretations of Kerouac's poetry. Haunting, graceful, raw and humorous, a brilliant album highly recommended. Special hilights-Hunter S Thompson's gonzo "Ode to Jack," Morphine's smoky "Kerouac," and Maggie Estep & the Spitters aggressive "Skid Row Wine." Jack himself is heard to a house beat by Joe Strummer on "Macdougal St Blues." One of a kind. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 90's    2. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Album Rock    4. Alternative Pop/Rock    5. American Underground    6. Beat Poetry    7. Experimental    8. Experimental Rock    9. Folk-Rock    10. Hard Rock    11. Indie Rock    12. Poetry    13. Pop    14. Popular Music    15. Post-Rock/Experimental    16. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    17. Proto-Punk    18. Roots Rock    19. Singer/Songwriter    20. Spoken   

Editorial Review

Though their recording career spanned a mere five years, Mott the Hoople saw more than their share of ups and downs; the ups being of the artistic sort while the downs were related more closely to the grind of the road and the demands of their short-lived stardom. Unfortunately, those musical highs couldn't fend off the emotional lows and the band fell apart shortly after completing a genre-defining trilogy of glam-rock records--1972's Read more

Reviews (13)

Great Compilation!
Mott the Hoople was one of the most interesting British glam-rock bands of the 1970's. They started their recording career with Island Records as a progressive rock band. They released 4 fine ( though uneven ) records for Island during 1969-72, before they changed for CBS. This change combined withDavid Bowie producing his own "All the Young Dudes" for them gave the big breakthrough and a new profile as the rock'n rollers of glam rock.
Buy All the Young Dudes and Mott before buying this
If you like the band enough to be contemplating buying this retrospective, a much better place to start is with All the Young Dudes and Mott.Those two albums are classics in the purest sense:songwriting and execution are as good as it gets in rock music.The other individual albums are not as essential and relatively inconsistent in comparison with the 2 previously mentioned.For most people, therefore, this compilation samples the rest of the band's catalogue sufficiently.

Missing a great song
Mott's version of You Really Got Me was one of the greatest instrumental covers of all time.It's missing from this compilation.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Glam Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

In 1973, fed up with Bryan Ferry's domineering in Roxy Music, Eno leapt into a solo career that would find him championing the "art" in "artifice." This record is a who's who of the then-burgeoning English art-rock scene, featuring Robert Wyatt, Robert Fripp, and every member of Roxy Music except its leader (thus answering the musical question, "What if Eno had helmed the third Roxy record instead of Ferry?"). Read more

Reviews (53)

Pissing on the competition
I just had to add a bit if info that I think makes this album even better. While I love Taking Tiger Mountain and even more so Another Green World, Here Come the Warm Jets is possibly one of the best album names to ever surface in rock and roll. Especially considering the pre-history of Eno's solo work.
Still my favorite Eno recording.
This is my hands down favorite Eno record. A wild concoction mixing glam, art-rock, doo-wop, film scores, krautrock and found noises into a brilliant stew.
ClassicAlbum !!!
This album stood out like a diamond in mud when it came out.
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Subjects:  1. England    2. Experimental    3. Experimental Rock    4. Glam Rock    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    8. Proto-Punk    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (13)

Still great..even without Mo Tucker
Though I miss Mo Tucker's drumming on this concert recording (she was too pregnant at the time!) the sound quality is noticeably improved over the original edition. You also get an extended version of 'Some Kinda Love' and nice live versions of 'Candy Says' and 'I'm Set Free' on this remastered deluxe version. Sell your copy of the old version and get this!

Live and loud
It seems appropriate that rocker-muse Bebe Buell once wrote and sang, "Cut my teeth at Max's Kansas City/My soul is pure rock." It was the original rock'n'roll club, with drag queens, actors, hit singers and underground hits in the same room. It had Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger and then-waittress Debbie Harry hanging out in the same place.
A CLASSIC "OFFICIAL" BOOTLEG
This is SO WORTH IT!!The Velvets at nearly their greatest live and a classic NYC-sleaze-nightlife document.The ambience is perfect.The band sounds wonderful.The only better Velvets live documents are the CDs, "Live 1969 Vol 1" & "Vol 2".This is a very close second.Stay away from the "Quine Tapes" - awful sound quality.This DELUXE version of "Live at Max's Kansas City" is the one to have!! (Rather than the old single disc version.)It is a HUGE improvment!!If you're even thinking of getting it, GET IT!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Experimental Rock    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Proto-Punk    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter    9. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Sometimes, obscure history is important enough to study and can even provide entertainment. Such is the case with the early '70s Cleveland aggregation known as Rocket from the Tombs. Seemingly out of nowhere in the Midwest, they were able to create their own little punk community even before any such New York or London band was on any writer's radar. Like the original Modern Lovers, their material never came out while they were together--a few bootlegs and a limited-edition album were their only recorded legacy. Singer David Thomasand guitarist Peter Laughner would later form Pere Ubu, while guitarist Gene O'Connor (Cheetah Chrome) and drummer Johnny Madansky (Johnny Blitz) would form the Dead Boys, with each of these bands taking Rocket songs with them. In addition, everyone from Mission of Burma to Guns n' Roses to Wilco would cover their songs. Though the CD lacks Laughner's inspirational speeches, it contains the Rocket's loft tapes and live shows in their ragged glory. On some songs Rocket wear their influences (the Velvets on "Foggy Notion" and the Stooges on "Raw Power" and"Search & Destroy") on their sleeves; on others they explore teen angst in savage, seething workouts like "So Co ld," "What Love Is," "Sonic Reducer" (later a Dead Boys staple), and "Final Solution" (later an Ubu staple). In all, a wonderful piece of garage-land, pre-punk history with matching audio. Read more

Features

• Import

Reviews (10)

Punk zero hour in the industrial wasteland.
These 1974-75 recordings by Cleveland`s Rocket From The Tombs are their collected works and quite simply the most scathing and searing punk music ever put to wax. Never mind the sonic overload and questionable sound quality of the source tapes and hear RFTT rip through "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" in a way not even P�re Ubu could repeat, or shudder at the emotional intensity of wunder-guitarist Peter Laughner`s paean to a young life gone horribly wrong in "Ain`t It Fun". The classic "Sonic Reducer", later appropriated by The Dead Boys and issued in a version that pales (!) before RFTT`s assault and "Down In Flames" are amongst the other blistering punk performances.
Punk existed before they had a name for it
Did the Ramones invent punk rock? No, they just prompted some critics to give the scene a name, and they really brought all the influences together. However, the aesthetics and concept of punk rock were around long before. Simple chords, shocking stage shows, nothing but pure and fast rock 'n' roll that would rather sound like "Nuggets" than "Sgt. Peppers". Iggy & the Stooges, the MC5, the Velvet Underground, the Dictators, New York Dolls, heck even the Seeds or the Sonics had the punk rock thing down long before the Sex Pistols or the Clash had ever picked up a guitar (nothing makes me angrier than when someone tries to tell me that the British invented punk - probably some moronic Crass fan). However the two pre-Ramones bands that sound the most blatantly punk are the Electric Eels and Rocket From the Tombs, both hailing from Cleavland. Rocket From the Tombs played the most nihilistic rock 'n' roll anyone could imagine at the time. Of course they had absolutely no chance of hitting the mainstream - they were too good for it. I mean would a song like "Ain't It Fun" ever be played alongside crap like the Eagles or James Taylor? The answer is NO. No one sounded like this in 1974. When the band broke up, members formed two of the greatest punk bands ever, the Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. If you like this album, be sure to pick up an Electric Eels disc. This is essential, and should be heard by anyone interested in proto-punk (hell, punk all together).

From Cleveland Comes Greatness!!
I read about This Group in the Essential Book: From The Velvets To The Voidoids. In All Their Ragged Glory, when This CD\LP came Out & I Was Simply BLOWN Away!
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Subjects:  1. Proto-Punk    2. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Live

Reviews (28)

Excellent Live Performances of all the Classics (but one).
`The Velvet Underground Live MCMXCIII (1993)' is a two CD set collected from performances at the Paris (France) L'Olympia Theater. From the response of the audience to the Velvet's performances, I think the myth that only about a thousand people ever actually listened to The Velvet Underground (but, the story goes, each and every one of those thousand started a band influenced by the Velvets.
Worthy
If you are a fan, consider this: there are live versions of "The Gift" and "I Heard Her Call My Name" on this record.And they are both not only as good as the versions on White Light/White Heat, but were recorded on modern equipment.
Their Best Live album !
I don't know why this album wasn't more popular than it was. I WAS glad to see that it charted in billboard magazine ( #180 ).This is their best live album ! I like it almost as much as their original studio albums. It was a great comback for them. I only wished they reunited and stayed for a while. I highly recommend this cd for any velvets fan old AND new. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Experimental Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop    9. United States of America   

Editorial Review

It's tempting to emphasize Captain Beefheart's eccentricities at the expense of his talent. We're talking, after all, of an art prodigy who emerged from the Mojave Desert in the '60s performing an unprecedented strain of Dadaesque blues (fortified with jazz, R&B, and Beat ingredients) and backed by his personally schooled Magic Band. But once you get past the fact that players dubbed Zoot Horn Rollo and the Mascara Snake were backing a headstrong fellow howling with ungodly range songs with names such as "Old Fart at Play," "My Head is My Only House Unless it Rains," and "Nowadays a Woman's Gotta Hit a Man," you're confronted with...well, genius. The man born Don Van Vliet possessed a potent vision and the will to bring it to life on his own terms. This long-overdue two-disc retrospective presents 30 Beefheart tracks cut between 1966 and 1982 (when the Captain stepped away from the music world for the last time), including a smattering of rarities. Consider Read more

Reviews (21)

the dust does blow forward
i just stumbled upon this very nicely designed package when i stumbled into a small music store browsing. i dont mind saying that firstly i have always been opposed to "best of comps". i am a vinyl collector and have a very nice beefheart collection that i am very fond of. my prise in his catalogue is a white label pressing of "lick my decals off baby". this has always been, in my opinion, his most rewarding release. anyway. i saw this anthology and was pleasantly taken off guard to know that his music has been collected in a such a respectful manner. since all of my beefheart is on lp, this was one compilation i completely support and it has been added to my collection. on a final note: it took an artist of beefhearts standing to make this a decision that was easy to make. thank you rhino!

It's What's For Dinner
This is prime Van Vliet. I can't understand some people's "beef" with this collection. Yes, many GREAT Beefheart songs were left off the package, but I believe that's due to something called time restraints! This set ably demonstrates the eccentric genius of the good Captain. From powerful blues (Diddy Wah Diddy), afro trance-rock (Abba Zabba), free-jazz freak-outs (My Human Gets Me Blues), John Cage-ish experimentalism meets acid blues (Woe-Is-Uh-Me-Bop), surreal darkness (I'm Gonna Booglarize...), powerful Magic Band ensemble work (Big Eyed Beans...), smooth R&B (Too Much Time), to the twisted, brilliant visions of his later career (Bat Chain Puller through Light Reflected...), this set is authoritative. It's What's For Dinner
This is prime Van Vliet. I can't understand some people's "beef" with this collection. Yes, many GREAT Beefheart songs were left off the package, but I believe that's due to something called time restraints! This set ably demonstrates the eccentric genius of the good Captain. From powerful blues (Diddy Wah Diddy), afro trance-rock (Abba Zabba), free-jazz freak-outs (My Human Gets Me Blues), John Cage-ish experimentalism meets acid blues (Woe-Is-Uh-Me-Bop), surreal darkness (I'm Gonna Booglarize...), powerful Magic Band ensemble work (Big Eyed Beans...), smooth R&B (Too Much Time), to the twisted, brilliant visions of his later career (Bat Chain Puller through Light Reflected...), this set is authoritative. Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues-Rock    2. Experimental    3. Experimental Rock    4. Pop    5. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    6. Proto-Punk    7. Psychedelic    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

T. Rex's best album, Read more

Reviews (45)

One of the more excellent albums of all time
Let me start by saying this, if you do not own this album, purchase it right away. If you do, nice job, on owning a fantastic album.
Ageless Masterpiece
I had been listening to The Beatles and Led Zep as a ten year old due to my older brothers record collection,but this is the album that got me hooked on music.The combination of cool rock and mysticism just blew my young mind away!This record made me feel sexy before I even new what sex was! I dont bellieve that there is another album that sounds quite like this one, and it probably ranks as the bands best.No other act has quite been able to capture the T.Rex/Marc Bolan sound and listening to this album, it is easy to see why.It deserves to be ranked with the best classic rock releases of the early 70s and has stood the test of time, thanks to Bolans amazing songs and Tony Viscontis production skills.An album to indulge your senses!

Looking for a classic glam rock masterpiece? Look no further
Electric Warrior (1971.) Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Glam Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered
• Import

Reviews (7)

Don't just think about it man.......... BUY IT !
Well, what can I say.With the wife and kids (dog,cat, hamster - anyone you care for really) well out of the way, turn it up FULL volume until the drums kick you in the head, the basslines make the walls move,Larry Wallis's guitar cuts through you like a knife and enter an alternate state of consciousness.A full scale assault on the central nervous system.Bloody fantastic. The album is worth buying just to listen to Russell Hunter's drumming on 'City Kids'alone(probably the best 3 1/2 minutes Wallis (or anyone else) has ever penned.) If you haven't heard of the Fairies check them out on the web to see why they are a legend and buy all their remastered albums.The Wallis-driven 'Kings' is their best effort. My wife hates it - the ultimate accolade.This is without doubt rock and roll at its very finest.

Pink Fairies - 'Kings Of Oblivion' import
'Kings...' was originally released in 1973,being the band's third effort.The line-up on here is strictly a trio with Russell Hunter on drums,Duncan Sanderson on bass/vocals and Larry Wallis on guitar/vocals.This disc kicks MORE ass than I was expecting.I was quite impressed with "I Wish I Was A Girl","Chromium Plating",the boot stomping instrumental "Raceway" and "Street Urchin".Wallis's guitar ripping is worth the admission price alone.Wasn't he the original guitarist for Motorhead?In fact,this CD's opener "City Kids" went onto be a Motorhead tune.Comes with four bonus cuts added on,so you can't go wrong by picking up a copy of this title.Should appeal to fans of MC5,Deviants,the Melvins,Stooges and Spirit Caravan.

Motts of Oblivion
What a band. Everybody loved the Fairies. On their night - the best band in the world; on their off days - well, the least said the better. They played every free festival there was, always turning up for them, but sometimes forgetting to turn up to the ones that they were supposed to be paid for. Touring with the equally infamous Hawkwind, ending every concert with a set of "Pinkwind", where everybody got up on stage for a Jam that would either be marvelous or, depending on the state of the respective band members, a complete shambles. Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

When the mid-'70s Jonathan Richman traded the "snotty," Velvet Underground-tinged sensibility of the original Modern Loves for a strummed, twangy electric style and an even lighter percussion sound, he didn't give up his convictions. The 22 cuts here, drawn from Rounder releases from the '80s and '90s, are as joyful and unironic as anything cut during those years. He explicitly acknowledges his roots in the innocent '60s on "Parties in the U.S.A.," both lyrically and in its borrowed "Hang On Sloopy" riff, and he reaches back to the Collins Kids' rockabilly nugget for this collection's title track. Richman celebrates urban delights ("I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar," "Cappuccino Bar," "Vampire Girl"), but these tunes find him digging ranches ("Circle I") and island jaunts (an expansion of "Bermuda" includes a pointed jab at the old Lovers' "She Cracked"). Openheartedly, he even cut a whole album in Nashville (well, Springfield, Missouri) style and a long-player in Spanish. Finally, "She Doesn't Laugh at My Jokes" sounds like the product of a much less damaged Brian Wilson circa Read more

Reviews (5)

Very Good
I, at one point, owned all of Jonathan's Rounder material."I, Jonathan" is a great album; "Jonathan Goes Country" is better than you would ever imagine.But on all of Jonathan's Rounder albums there are some songs I really feel are not needed."I, Jonathan" and "Jonathan Goes Country" both contain remakes of some of his better late seventies and early eighties cuts for Beserkly and Sire--"Corner Store" and "That Summer Feeling" for example--which pale in comparison to the originals.What this best of collection does, contrary to some of the other reviewers' opinions here, is give you a very good representation of his best material for Rounder.If you really want a good collection of Jonathan, buy this cd, pick up "Jonathan Sings," and "The Beserkley Years: The Best of."I would hope to God that you would already own "The Modern Lovers."

Of course it ain't perfect but who's counting
As the liner notes state (which by the way are a great addition to the package) favorite songs are going to be left off. Richman offers a solid overview of his years on Rounder
This 22-track collection could have featured some of Jonathan's forays into instrumentals ("Blue Moon," "Grunion Run") or spoken-word pieces ("1963," "Twilight in Boston").There, I'm done quibbling...What this disc lacks in variety, it compensates by showcasing Richman's strengths as a songwriter.His songs from this period (1988-95, on the folk-based indie label Rounder) generally revolve around relationships ("You Must Ask the Heart"), music ("Fender Stratocaster"), dancing/partying ("I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar," "Parties in the U.S.A."), rural joys ("Circle I"), urban delights ("Reno"), and the minutiae of daily life ("Everyday Clothes").The simple rock 'n' roll arrangements place Jonathan's often humorous lyrics front and center.Action Packed is a solid introduction to Richman's post-Modern Lovers career.Fringe Benefit:The liner notes include Jonathan's charming third-person account of his "First Twenty Years in Show Business." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    4. Guitar    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Proto-Punk    9. Rock    10. Rock & Roll    11. Rock/Pop    12. United States of America    13. Vocals   

Editorial Review

When the news filtered out that Roxy (Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera, and Paul Thompson, but, alas, no Brian Eno) were reconvening, skeptics anticipated a nostalgia trip by superannuated globetrotters. How wrong they were. These 22 sonically excellent recordings (made in 16 auditoriums, from Stuttgart to Adelaide via Vancouver) exhibit an envious attention to detail (Lucy Wilkins supplants Eddie Jobson's violin on "Out of the Blue" and there are even revving motorbike noises on "Virginia Plain"), but are far from clinically sterile. The godfathers of glam still manage to stoke up a fire behind the likes of "Remake Remodel" and Ferry continues to sing like a man handling a poisonous spider or having his back scratched by a supermodel. Their influence is still palpable--Suede must have re-written "Street Life" three times over. Pretty much everything on Read more

Features

• Enhanced
• Live

Reviews (11)

Tour de Roxy
Roxy's comeback was a triumph - even given the lack of new material, given the great musicianship, the energy to put on a fantastical show, and the cool vibes all around. This disc is from the same tour of the DVD, but the songs are not taken from the same performances and there are songs not on the DVD. A must have for Roxy fans and amongst the very best live albums ever made.

Really enjoyable
Roxy Music confirm that they are an excellent live band.For long-time fans who know that a new studio album is not likely, this is the next best thing. Technicians took control
The music of Roxy Music can be separated to 2 eras: the first 5 studio albums (1972-75) that brought us something fresh, new and interesting, and the music from the 80's that is more Brian Ferry solo - shmaltz, elevator music, just choose for yourselves. Lets call it "The Avalon era". In between there was a bad albu