Description

Firstly, lets discuss what you get. 72 tracks, 17 Previously Unreleased Tracks, 21 Rare Tracks and B-Sides never available before on CD. Despite that, I personally believe that a great opportunity has been missed here. I think it is fair to say, that a box set is going to appeal mainly to fans. So why waste space with material that almsot all fans will have already.Disc 1 Is made up of the bands early work, some of which has never appeared on CD before. Track 1, Monkeys, is the original version, with Julian Cope on keyboards. Tacks 2-3 also being Original Single Versions, with Track 4 being amore… John Peel Session Recording. From an historical perspective, these tracks are a must for any fan as this was the sound of the early Bunnymen. However, very little else on Disc 1 is new to us. With the exception of Tracks 6, 17,18, 19, 20, all of which are B-sides to singles and 12 inch singles. Tracks 17 and 20 being of particular interest. Track 10 - The Puppet and Track 11 - Do it Clean did not appear on any studio albums and deserve to be here, however, that leaves a whopping 9 tracks that most if not all fans, would already have. I would have liked to have seen the remainder of the John Peel Session recodings that appeared on cassette, which included, Ashes To Ashes, Monkeys, Read It In Books. Also wasted, was the opportunity to release the tracks that appeared on the 1981 release EP Shine So Hard, which included brilliant versions of Crocodiles, All That Jazz, Zimbo, Over The Wall. All of which appear in a familar form on Disc 1 anyway.Disc 2 Is much more interesting, despite 4 out of the first 5 tracks being familar recordings. Track 3 - Way out and Up We Go, a B-side to The Cutter, and a worthwhile addition. Tracks 6-11 are gems, all either being 12 versions or B-sides never available before on CD. All brilliant songs in their own right. Again however, here we see yet more missed chances to include worthwhile additional material. We do not get the accoustic versions of The Killing Moon, Stars Are Stars and Villers Terrace, which appear on the same 12 inch single as All You Need is Love.Disc 3 Is by far the most interesting disc out of the four. Track 1, Bring On The Dancing Horses, again, could have been the 12inch version. Strangly, Tracks 2 and 6, both B-Sides to singles are included, but not the alternative version to Lost and Found, which appeared on the B-side to the same 12 inch as Track 6.Track 3, Lover I Love You is a real find. I had never heard it before, although if you listen closely, you will recognise it despite it never having been released. Also new, Tracks 4 - Satisfaction and Track 5 - New Direction (Original Version). Tracks 7-10, again all familiar, missing the chance for the 12inch version of Lips Like Sugar. Track 12 - Rollercoster is a personal favourite and a must addition. The remaining tracks on Disc 3, all familiar.Disc 4 Is the only disc that can actually be classed as completely worthwhile, despite being somewhat muddled. Track 3 - The Original Cutter, which is brilliant, Track 4 - Heads Will Roll (Summer Version) and Track 5 - Bedbugs & Ballyhoo (Original Version) all clearly belonging to either disc 2 or 3. The live stuff is good to see, but with the inclusion of the live tracks I mentioned earlier, could have made this a worthwhile project.All these things said, should not detract from the fact that the Bunnymen have finally had the Box Set treatment done. Andy Zax who compiled it, could have made better choices and made this a truly essential piece of Bunnydom, but when push comes to shove, it is simply an expanded best of.However, with the obvious strength of ALL the tracks on this set, you MUST buy it anyway. It is packaged to die for. A glossy 66 page booklet is included and the long box itself is PERFECT. I mention all the points above, I.E. the exclsuion of certain tracks etc, simply because I am a huge fan of this band and would like all their material on CD. However, there is only one piece of advice for anyone thinking of buying this - DO IT

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

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Cover Info:

Title:

Echo & The Bunnymen - Crystal Days 1979-1999 (2001) Retail CD

Part:

Back

Dimensions:

1635 x 2948 px

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2,247 KB

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Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

21/07/08 by pw1965

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