Tracks The Visitors
- One Of Us
- Head Over Heels
- The Visitors
- I Let The Music Speak
- The Day Before You Came
- Cassandra
- When All Is Said And Done
- Under Attack
- Soldiers
- Should I Laugh Or Cry
- Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
- Two For The Price Of One
- Slipping Through My Fingers
Release date: 2002-01-04
Run time: 57 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £3.46
Review The Visitors / Abba:
Tracks Ladies and Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael
- Somebody To Love (1)
- Desafinado
- Star People
- Fantasy
- Fantasy
- Too Funky
- Faith
- Freedom 90
- Heal The Pain
- Faith
- Strangest Thing 97
- Father Figure
- Star People
- Careless Whisper
- Fastlove
- Outside
- Kissing A Fool
- Different Corner
- Fastlove
- Waiting For The Day
- I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
- I Want Your Sex
- You Have Been Loved
- Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
- Spinning The Wheel
- As
- Praying For Time
- I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
- Killer/Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
- Killer/Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
- Freedom 90
- Moment With You
- Too Funky
- Strangest Thing 97
- Spinning The Wheel
- Somebody To Love
- I Want Your Sex
- One more try
- I Can't Make You Love Me
- Outside
- Jesus To A Child
- Cowboys And Angels
- As
- Waiting For The Day
Release date: 1998-11-09
RRP: £15.99
Price: £8.83
Review Ladies and Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael / George Michael:Since the break-up of teen duo Wham! in 1986, George Michael has constantly had to reinvent himself as a credible master of various musical styles. Ladies And Gentlemen charts this journey, from his duets with pop elite such as Aretha Franklin ("I Knew You Waiting (For Me)") and Elton John ("Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"), to dance floor classics such as "Too Funky" and "Fastlove" and bleak, evocative numbers such as "Jesus To A Child" and "A Different Corner". The songs are arranged on two complementing discs: the slower, ballady productions are on the first disc ("for the heart"), and the more dancey, poppy numbers are on the second ("for the feet"). The compilation also includes three tracks specially recorded for the album, most notably his duet with Mary J Blige on the Stevie Wonder classic "As". -John Galilee.
![Review EMI / Queen And Paul Rodgers - Return Of The Champions [2005]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FAB13MG0L._SL160_.jpg)
Tracks Queen And Paul Rodgers - Return Of The Champions [2005]
Release date: 2005-10-31
Run time: 130 min.
RRP: £13.99
Price: £6.80
Review Queen And Paul Rodgers - Return Of The Champions [2005] / EMI:
Tracks The Berry Vest of Gilbert O'Sullivan
- Can't Think Straight
- What's It All Supposed To Mean?
- Get Down
- No Matter How I Try
- Why Oh Why Oh Why
- Out Of The Question
- Ooh Wakka Doo Wakka Day
- Mr Moody's Garden/An End
- What's In A Kiss
- Happiness Is Me And You
- Alone Again (Naturally)
- Nothing Rhymed
- We Will (Gus Dudgeon Remix)
- Two's Company (Three Is Allowed)
- Ooh Baby (Radio Mix)
- So What
- Doesn't It Make You Sick (Mortar & Brick)
- Matrimony
- Who Was It
- Clair
- Miss My Love Today
Release date: 2004-03-15
RRP: £8.99
Price: £4.47
Review The Berry Vest of Gilbert O'Sullivan / Gilbert O'Sullivan:
Tracks Neil Diamond: The Greatest Hits 1966-1992
- If You Know What I Mean
- Hello Again
- Cracklin' Rosie
- Brooklyn Roads
- Solitary Man
- Beautiful Noise
- Shilo
- Crunchy Granola Suite
- Desiree
- Longfellow Serenade
- You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Diamond, Neil & Barbra Streisand
- Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon
- Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
- All I Really Need Is You
- Cherry Cherry
- I'm A Believer
- Yesterday's Songs
- Heartbreak Hotel - Diamond, Neil & Kim Carnes
- I Got The Feelin'
- Morning Side
- Forever In Blue Jeans
- I Am...I Said
- Holly Holy
- Song Sung Blue
- Thank The Lord For The Night Time
- America
- Kentucky Woman
- Heartlight
- Sweet Caroline
- Soolaimon
- You Got To Me
- Love On The Rocks
- Red Red Wine
- Play Me
- Headed For The Future
- September Morn
Release date: 2008-01-07
RRP: £13.99
Price: £5.54
Review Neil Diamond: The Greatest Hits 1966-1992 / Neil Diamond:Though now known mainly for his middle-of-the-road balladry, Neil Diamond started his career in the '60s as a Tin Pan Alley pro who turned out a string of ballsy, folk-rock-styled classic Top 40 singles that may come as a surprise to anyone who's grown up with the image of Diamond as a sensitive crooner and Vegas showman. This 2 CD set contains all of his hits, but it isn't quite the definitive package that its title suggests. His early Bang singles ("Cherry, Cherry," "Kentucky Woman," "Solitary Man") and his later Columbia material ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "America," "Heartlight") appear in their original versions. But his mid-period MCA/UNI hits ("Sweet Caroline," "Song Sung Blue," "I Am. I Said") are represented by live re-recordings from 1989 and 1992. -Scott Schinder.
Tracks Deja Vu
- Helpless
- Almost Cut My Hair
- Woodstock
- Teach Your Children
- Carry On
- Our House
- Country Girl: Whiskey Boot Hill/Down, Down, Down/Country Girl
- Everybody I Love You
- 4 + 20
- Déjà Vu
Release date: 1994-09-19
RRP: £15.99
Price: £9.37
Review Deja Vu / Crosby Stills Nash and Young:Crosby, Stills and Nash were already a "supergroup" before Neil Young, previously of Buffalo Springfield, joined them for this album. Indisputably one of the key albums of the immediate post-Woodstock era, Déjà vu does at times however sound a bit of a period piece. Ranging in emotion from the almost cutesy "Teach Your Children" and "Our House" to the moody, dark guitar sounds of "Almost Cut My Hair" and their version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock", it is nevertheless an important document of the time. Young, who would go on to release the excellent After The Gold Rush later in the same year, provides the best moments with "Helpless" and the "Country Girl" medley. -Tim Perry.
Tracks Stop the Clocks
- Songbird
- Live Forever
- Cigarettes & Alcohol
- The Importance of Being Idle
- Lyla
- Acquiesce
- Rock n Roll Star
- Dont Look Back In Anger
- Some Might Say
- Morning Glory
- Slide Away
- The Masterplan
- Talk Tonight
- Champagne Supernova
- Go Let It Out
- Supersonic
- Half The World Away
- Wonderwall
Release date: 2006-11-20
RRP: £16.99
Price: £4.76
Review Stop the Clocks / Oasis:Terrace anthem heroes or rock plagiarists: how will history judge Oasis? Well, if a band's Greatest Hits is their dispatch to the ages, Stop The Clocks - a two CD collection that spans the ins and outs of their career from debut single "Supersonic" to 2005's sixth studio album Don't Believe The Truth - suggests that whether you believe they lost their way in a blizzard of cocaine around the time of 1997's Be Here Now or put their first foot wrong the day Liam first put crayon to paper as lyricist - at their best they're quite simply at the top of their game. First up, a run-through the early stuff: band manifesto "Rock'n'Roll Star', their first chart-topper "Some Might Say", and its B-side, the acoustic, Noel-sung "Talk Tonight". In such context, later efforts like "Lyla" and "Go Let It Out" lack the obvious hunger of what came before, but they demonstrate exactly why Oasis got as huge as they did: their affinity for the stomping, Slade-derived swagger and runway-width choruses just perfect for filling stadiums and football fields. Fans who shelled out for Oasis' B-sides compilation The Masterplan might feel mugged by the decision to reprise four tracks here, but a genuine Oasis Best Of wouldn't seriously work without the presence of "Acquiesce". Live forever? These songs just might. -Louis Pattison.
Tracks Live At The Sydney Opera House
- Anyone Who Had A Heart
- One Less Bell To Answer
- Do You Know The Way To San Jose
- Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
- God Give Me Strength
- This Guy's In Love With You
- What The World Needs Now Is Love
- The Look Of Love
- I'll Never Fall In Love Again
- On My Own
- Wives And Lovers
- A House Is Not A Home
- Only Love Can Break A Heart
- What The World Needs Now Is Love (Reprise)
- I Say A Little Prayer
- The April Fools
- The World Is A Circle
- Arthur's Theme
- Any Day Now
- That's What Friends Are For
- Don't Make Me Over
- Walk On By
- Making Love
- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
- What's New Pussycat?
- Alfie
- Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (Reprise)
- Make It Easy On Yourself
- Trains And Boats And Planes
- Always Something There To Remind Me
- Close To You
- Wishin' And Hopin'
Release date: 2008-10-20
Run time: 77 min.
RRP: £16.99
Price: £7.62
Review Live At The Sydney Opera House / Burt Bacharach:
Tracks Accelerate (digipack)
- Horse To Water
- Mr Richards
- Until The Day Is Done
- I'm Gonna DJ
- Accelerate
- Hollow Man
- Supernatural Superserious
- Man Sized Wreath
- Sing For The Submarine
- Houston
- Living Well Is The Best Revenge
Release date: 2008-03-31
RRP: £15.99
Price: £2.50
Review Accelerate (digipack) / REM:At this stage in a band's career a Mojo front cover would seem more likely than actually getting their old mojo back. And at 14 albums young, REM's longevity had been taken as a byword for pale compliance-in spite of a melodic obedience, last album Around the Sun lacked the emotional vigour of their key works and was presumed by many to be no more than a footnote in their decline. Here then is where they break all the rules. Accelerate is exceptionally loyal to its title and marks a hefty return to their Document-era heyday, when their Byrdsian post-punk was beefed up to suit the arenas they were then beginning to fill. There's even a new "end of the world" song to back up that assertion-the excitable Stooges/B52s love-in "I'm Gonna DJ" ("Death is pretty final/I'm collecting vinyl/I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world!"). Michael Stipe's voice splinters scattered emotional punctuation, Mike Mills is as ever REM's secret weapon, drilling out bass-lines like rapid CPR and achieving more with a single backing vocal than many lead singers manage over a whole album, while Peter Buck deals out memorable guitar twists a-go-go evoking amongst others The Who, The Small Faces and Neil Young. To summon a cliché, this really does sound like a band-and a band half their age at that-playing live in a room, packed full of all the fire and nuances needed to feel at home in a club or the stadiums they now more regularly inhabit. -James Berry.
Tracks Help!
- You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
- I've Just Seen A Face
- Help
- Dizzy Miss Lizzy
- It's Only Love
- Night Before
- Another Girl
- Act Naturally
- You're Going To Lose That Girl
- Tell Me What You See
- Ticket To Ride
- You Like Me Too Much
- Yesterday
- I Need You
Release date: 1988-11-01
RRP: £16.99
Price: £6.41
Review Help! / The Beatles:How John Lennon's confessional song became the title for a silly James Bond spoof is still inexplicable. The funny thing is, it works both ways-as a young man's personal statement about learning to open up to others, and as the frantic theme for an exotic espionage chase comedy starring those loveable mop-tops (this time in COLOUR). Like A Hard Day's Night, only the first "side" of this album actually contains songs from the movie-the biggest hits being the eponymous cry for assistance and "Ticket to Ride". But part two has a few nice tunes as well, like "It's Only Love", "I've Just Seen a Face" and a little ditty called "Yesterday". And it's always fun when they do an all-out screamer like "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", which sounds like John's raucous answer to Paul's "Kansas City / Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" vocal on Beatles for Sale. -Jim Emerson.
Tracks Rumours: Expanded and Remastered
- I Dont Want To Know
- You Make Loving Fun (Roughs & Outtakes)
- Gold Dust Woman
- Second Hand News (Roughs & Outtakes)
- Go Your Own Way
- Butter Cookie (Keep Me There) (Early Demo)
- Dreams (Roughs & Outtakes)
- Never Going Back Again
- Dont Stop
- Dont Stop (Roughs & Outtakes)
- Silver Springs
- Never Going Back Again (Early Demo)
- Dreams
- Songbird (Roughs & Outtakes)
- Songbird
- Oh Daddy (Roughs & Outtakes)
- Oh Daddy
- Planets Of The Universe (Early Demo)
- Go Your Own Way (Roughs & Outtakes)
- The Chain
- Doesnt Anything Last (Early Demo)
- Second Hand News
- Brushes (Never Going Back Again) (Roughs & Outtakes)
- You Make Loving Fun
- Think About It (Roughs & Outtakes)
- Gold Dust Woman (Early Demo)
- Gold Dust Woman #1 (Roughs & Outtakes)
- Silver Springs (Roughs & Outtakes)
Release date: 2004-03-22
RRP: £10.99
Price: £4.84
Review Rumours: Expanded and Remastered / Fleetwood Mac:
Tracks The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars: Remastered
- Lady Stardust
- Star
- Starman
- Rock & Roll Suicide
- Ziggy Stardust
- Moonage Daydream
- Suffragette City
- Hang on to Yourself
- It Ain't Easy
- Soul Love
- Five Years
Release date: 1999-09-06
RRP: £13.99
Price: £4.28
Review The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars: Remastered / David Bowie:Of all David Bowie's many distinctive personae, none have done more to lodge this most ingenious of British artists in the world's consciousness than his 1972 amalgam of the alien visitor and Christ-like rock star: Ziggy Stardust. Cheap glamour, spacemen and ambiguous sexuality surface throughout the loosely conceptualised collection that is The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. If its premise sounds faintly ludicrous, then inspired and dramatic songs such as "Starman" and "Five Years" dispel all doubts about Bowie's genius, and the theatrically tragic "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" brings the album and it's fictional protagonist to a close. As a cultural and musical signpost, Ziggy Stardust points simultaneously backwards to early rock & roll and forward to the simpler, tougher inclinations of late-1970s punk and New Wave rock. As one of the defining rock albums of the 20th century, its influence is immeasurable. -James Littlewood.
Tracks The Essential
- They Dont Care About Us
- Off The Wall
- Will You Be There
- Another Part Of Me
- You Are Not Alone
- You Rock My World
- Billie Jean
- Can You Feel It
- In The Closet (Duet By Michael Jackson And Mystery Girl)
- I Just Can't Stop Loving You (Michael Jackson And Siedah Garrett)
- Beat It
- The Love You Save The Jackson 5
- The Way You Make Me Feel
- I Want You Back
- Who Is It
- Man In The Mirror
- Heal The World
- Got To Be There
- Bad
- Rockin Robin
- Rock With You
- Black Or White
- Earth Song
- Ben
- The Girl Is Mine (Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney)
- Leave Me Alone
- Blame It On The Boogie - The Jacksons
- ABC - The Jackson 5
- Thriller
- P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
- Dont Stop Til You Get Enough
- Dirty Diana
- Wanna Be Startin Something
- Human Nature
- Shes Out Of My Life
- Remember The Time
- Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)
- Smooth Criminal
Release date: 2005-07-18
RRP: £18.99
Price: £5.90
Review The Essential / Michael Jackson:
![Review Michael Jackson / Michael Jackson - Number Ones [2003]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41qZ4v3BQVL._SL160_.jpg)
Publisher: Sony Bmg
Release date: 2008-03-31
Run time: 91 min.
RRP: £7.99
Price: £4.98
Review Michael Jackson - Number Ones [2003] / Michael Jackson:
Tracks Roy Orbison - Black And White Night
Release date: 2006-10-16
Run time: 64 min.
RRP: £8.99
Price: £4.98
Review Roy Orbison - Black And White Night / Aviva International:Few early rockers were more gifted or less honoured in their prime than the late Roy Orbison, whose vaulting tenor and vulnerable love songs conjured heartbreak and desire with operatic intensity. This 1987 concert special came two decades after Orbison had retreated from pop's front lines, yet neither Orbison nor his music coasts on mere nostalgia: in every respect, A Black and White Night survives as a triumphant performance and a superb video production, as well as a first-rate retrospective of Orbison's hits. Filmed in black and white against the streamlined art deco stage of the since-demolished Coconut Grove in downtown Los Angeles, the concert is buoyed by a remarkable cast of A-list Orbison fans who signed on as his accompanists. Under the direction of producer T-Bone Burnett, the stage band thus includes Jackson Browne, Burnett, Elvis Costello, k. d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, J. D. Souther, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and Jennifer Warnes, along with the rhythm section from Elvis Presley's fabled late 60s and early 70s touring band. That astonishing line-up is all the more noteworthy for the restraint with which they collaborate-it's evident that those superstars came to honour Orbison, not upstage him, resulting in a gratifying cohesion to the performances. Orbison himself sounds as powerful as ever, his soaring falsetto cresting as dramatically as it did on the studio versions of the hits that inevitably dominate. [+]Those songs meanwhile confirm that his blue-chip admiration society came as much for the calibre of his writing as for his ravishing voice: if he remains best known for the jaunty come-on of "Pretty Woman", Orbison was first and foremost a rock balladeer, capable of bringing lumps to our throats with such classics as "Crying" and "Only the Lonely", or conjuring romantic trances through such gentle charmers as "Dream Baby". On this night, he handled all of them with fervour and finesse. -Sam Sutherland, Amazon. com.
Tracks Pop Art: Pet Shop Boys - The Hits
- Before
- Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take...)
- Liberation
- Home And Dry
- Yesterday, When I Was Mad
- New York City Boy (U.S. Radio Edit)
- Flamboyant
- I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
- I Get Along (Radio Edit)
- Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)
- Paninaro '95
- Love Comes Quickly
- You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
- Always On My Mind
- West End Girls
- Se A Vida E
- Can You Forgive Her?
- Left To My Own Devices
- Heart
- So Hard
- What Have I Done To Deserve This?
- It's Alright
- Being Boring
- It's A Sin
- DJ Culture
- Somewhere
- Rent
- Single-Bilingual
- Jealousy
- Miracles
- Go West
- A Red Letter Day
- Suburbia (video edit)
- Domino Dancing
- I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any
Release date: 2003-11-24
RRP: £8.99
Price: £4.93
Review Pop Art: Pet Shop Boys - The Hits / Pet Shop Boys:Managing-sort of-to keep within the Pet Shop Boys tradition of one-word album titles, the moniker of this latest best-of, PopArt, is typical of the band-arrogant and somewhat pretentious yet also tongue-in-cheek and slyly self-aware. All the 35 tracks on these two CDs are indeed both pop and art and rather than being in chronological order have been split in fairly arbitrary fashion across a "Pop" and, erm, an "Art" disc. The band are doubtless well aware that much heated discussion will take place among fans about which track belongs where, and indeed, as evidenced on the commentary of the accompanying DVD, squabbled about the splits themselves when compiling this release. Philosophical debates aside, this is an absolutely essential collection for anyone who enjoys the Pet Shop Boys' unique mix of bittersweet poignancy, archness and occasional high camp-or indeed for any discerning pop (or art) fan. Encompassing almost all their single releases (only "Was It Worth It?" and "How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?" are missing), this is a glorious retrospective of one of Britain's finest pop institutions. Let's hope there are another 35 singles half this good for a quadruple box set in another 18 years' time. -Rikki Price.
Tracks The Definitive Collection
- Tender Heart
- Running With The Night
- Love Will Conquer All
- To Love A Woman
- Endless Love
- My Destiny
- Sweet Love
- Zoom
- My Love
- Sail On
- Easy
- Machine Gun
- Lady
- Brick House
- Don't Stop The Music
- Wonderland
- Still
- Penny Lover
- Just To Be Close To You
- Hello
- Oh No
- Do It To Me
- Say You, Say Me
- You Are
- Flying High
- Too Hot Ta Trot
- The Closest Thing To Heaven
- Truly
- Don't Wanna Lose You
- Love, Oh Love
- Dancing On The Ceiling
- I Forgot
- Cinderella
- Ballerina Girl
- All Night Long (All Night)
- Stuck On You
- Three Times A Lady
- Angel
Release date: 2006-12-04
Run time: 169 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £6.20
Review The Definitive Collection / Lionel Richie & The Commodores:
Tracks Shrek
- Best Years Of Our Lives - Baha Men
- Like Wow - Leslie Carter
- Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright
- All Star - Smash Mouth
- My Beloved Monster - Eels
- Stay Home - Self
- It Is You (I Have Loved) - Dana Glover
- You Belong To Me - Jason Wade
- True Love's First Kiss - Harry Gregson-Wiliams, John Power
- Bad Reputation - Halfcocked
- I'm On My Way - The Proclaimers
- I'm A Believer - Smash Mouth
- I'm A Believer (Reprise) - Eddie Murphy
Release date: 2002-03-11
Run time: 40 min.
RRP: £8.99
Price: £4.64
Review Shrek / Various Artists:Animated movie Shrek, like The Muppet Show or The Simpsons, is tiered with visual appeal, fantasy, and sophisticated humour that appeals to children and adults on two mutually exclusive levels. Judging by the soundtrack alone, there is some genuine emotion coming from this movie; Rufus Wainwright, the Proclaimers, and especially the Eels all pen winsome, longing tunes. Dana Glover's "It Is You (I Have Loved)" represents the soundtrack's requisite glossy ballad, but it's better than most, and John Powell's climactic, orchestral "True Love's First Kiss" makes one wish there was a full score to accompany this soundtrack. On the flip side, Smash Mouth cover the Monkees' "I'm a Believer" with a groovy treatment of crunchy hip-hop beats, and Leslie Carter (sister of Aaron and Nick) gives a perky performance on the Britney-esque "Like Wow!" The soundtrack squeezes the last drops of juice from the overplayed Smash Mouth hit "All Star," but other than that, it strikes a great balance between cute-but-not-precious pop hits, and more grown-up songs that are well within reach of young ears. -Beth Massa.
Tracks The Essential Bob Dylan
- Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
- The Times They Are A-Changin'
- All Along The Watchtower
- Maggie's Farm
- Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?
- Everything Is Broken
- Like A Rolling Stone
- Mr Tambourine Man
- Lay, Lady, Lay
- Subterranean Homesick Blues
- Blind Willie McTell
- Knockin On Heaven's Door
- Tight Connection To My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love?)
- Tangled Up In Blue
- Not Dark Yet
- It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
- Jokerman
- If Not For You
- Forever Young
- Silvio
- Positively 4th Street
- Shelter From The Storm
- I Shall Be Released
- I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
- I Want You
- You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
- Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
- Hurricane
- Things Have Changed
- Dignity (Original Version)
- Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
- Changin' Of The Guards
- Blowin' In The Wind
- It Ain't Me Babe
- Gotta Serve Somebody
- Just Like A Woman
Release date: 2004-06-07
RRP: £15.99
Price: £7.44
Review The Essential Bob Dylan / Bob Dylan:The two discs of The Essential Bob Dylan don't exactly provide a thorough overview of four decades of recording by one of the most important and prolific performers of his time. So the collection definitely skates over his leagues-deep oeuvre, summarizing his monumental first half-dozen years in disc one and skirting over the following 34 years in disc two. Delving into Columbia's three Dylan greatest-hits packages, Essential offers only a few surprises, opting for The Basement Tapes version of "Quinn The Eskimo" over the Self Portrait remake that made it onto Greatest Hits Volume II and tossing in "Things Have Changed" from the Wonder Boys soundtrack for completists. But this overview is designed with newcomers, not Dylan-ologists, in mind. -Steven Stolder.
Tracks Drastic Fantastic
- Beauty Of Uncertainty
- Little Favours
- If Only
- Funnyman
- I Don't Want You Now
- White Bird
- Paper Aeroplane
- Saving My Face
- Hopeless
- Someday Soon
- Hold On
Release date: 2007-09-10
RRP: £16.99
Price: £3.47
Review Drastic Fantastic / KT Tunstall:As the sleeve of Drastic Fantastic, a shot of a wildly posing Kate Tunstall, suggests, the Scot never expected to find herself following up a multi-million selling debut. But her second official album, again produced by Steve Osborne, is an impressive piece of work, edgy enough to please those who delighted in her gleeful live shows yet suitably smooth for fans recruited via radio play. Unsurprisingly some of the songs on Drastic Fantastic is can be read as musings on fame, notably the catchy first single "Hold On" and the cleverly constructed Sixties-style pop of "Hopeless". Elsewhere "White Bird" is haunting and downbeat, while the propulsive "folk-punk" (her phrase) of "I Don't Want You Now" is apparently intended as a musical tribute to Tunstall's obvious precursor, the late Kirsty MacColl. The excellent `Saving My Face' welds a moody stadium rocker to a chord progression familiar from the chorus of Slade's timeless "Cum on Feel the Noize", a neat trick which pretty much encapsulates Tunstall's ability to combine the fragile and hearty in equal measures. By the time the understated, quietly epic "Beauty of Uncertainty" and the accordion-led "Paper Aeroplane", a quirky folk song not miles from her erstwhile comrades in Scotland's amorphous Fence Collective, bring proceedings to a close, the listener's relief is palpable. Making an intelligent, radio-friendly pop album with a real heart is difficult enough once, but managing the trick again proves her talent is genuine. -Steve Jelbert.
| Models & Brands:
The Visitors, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael, Queen And Paul Rodgers - Return Of The Champions [2005], The Berry Vest of Gilbert O'Sullivan, Neil Diamond: The Greatest Hits 1966-1992, Deja Vu, Stop the Clocks, Live At The Sydney Opera House, Accelerate (digipack), Help!, Rumours: Expanded and Remastered, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars: Remastered, The Essential, Michael Jackson - Number Ones [2003], Roy Orbison - Black And White Night, Pop Art: Pet Shop Boys - The Hits, The Definitive Collection, Shrek, The Essential Bob Dylan, Drastic Fantastic |
