B-Sides and Rarities

The album brings together tracks from throughout the band's career - focusing on tracks previously available only on vinyl, limited-release compilations, or as b-sides to nternational singles. Remastered here for the first time, it's a chance for fans to complete their Sonic Youth collection with pristine versions of tracks they'd been going nuts trying to find on their own. They asked for it... and now they're getting it.

Customer Reviews:

Sonic Stuff.......2007-03-23

I love Sonic Youth but...their records all sound the same in the end.

A Sonic treasure trove for fans.......2007-01-20

("The Destroyed Room" by Sonic Youth)

While it pains me to give anything less than 5 stars to a recording by what is after all the Greatest American Rock Band of the Last 25 Years--nay, the Greatest Rock Band Period of the Last 25 Years--I'll respectfully knock off one star for this collection of B-sides, demos and other sonic effluvia. This collection, you see, is mainly geared to fans of the band and other related music obsessives--newbies need not apply. If you're just looking to dip a toe into the band's very deep waters, it's better to start with SY's best-of-the-early-years collection, "Screaming Fields of Sonic Love." Those wanting to try a proper album should head straight for "Sister" (which most fans agree is actually their best album) or the epochal "Daydream Nation." The material on "The Destroyed Room" dates back no further than 1994, around the time of the underappreciated "Washing Machine" album, with the majority much more recent than that. In fact, only three of the songs here even have vocals, and one of those ("Razor Blade") is just a brief out-take. If you're already a fan, however, nothing except lack of funds should stop you from diving in, as there are plenty of Kool Things to be found, especially if you share the band's love of free improv. The lengthy instrumental workout that opens the album, "Fire Engine Dream" lets the band stretch out and just explore; needless to say, it's filled with oddly tuned textures and feedback, but also something of a groove courtesy of drummer Steve Shelley, who never receives enough credit. Naturally, SY's guitarists, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo (the real Glimmer Twins, if you ask me) are usually front and center, trading melodic ideas, drones and all-out Sonic abandon with glee. The Kim Gordon penned "Blink" is a surprisingly subtle song that would've fit right into one of the bands proper albums, and "Campfire" is an interesting excursion into abstract electronica. Unlike many latter-day noise merchants such as Wolf Eyes and Sightings, the Youth take a more laid-back, even friendly approach to horrible noise. The days of Sonic Death have been replaced by Sonic Life (an early title for the album now known as "Rather Ripped"), which is, of all things, sunny and positive. This isn't to say that it's "easy listening" (much of the stuff here will cause most "normal" folks to run for the exits). It's just that SY aim to transport listeners rather than smother them. While that approach draws sneering comparisons to so-called "jam bands," they're far more daring than the likes of Phish. If "The Destroyed Room" were released as an "all-new" album, it would definitely be considered the ballsiest release by a major rock band in years.

The biggest treat here, at least for yours truly, is the complete, uncut version of "Washing Machine's" epic coda, "The Diamond Sea." Mind you, the original version clocked in at a huge 19+ minutes--now we get to hear it at a mind-blowing 25:48! That it never feels bloated or wasteful is testament to the band's powere. Of course it's self indulgent, as is much of this album in general, but from them, too much is never enough.

21st Century Jam Band.......2006-12-22

If you like the 2nd disc on the Dirty deluxe set, or the Made In USA soundtrack, check out this album. Not too weird, but not too normal either.

Forget Rarities, SY Releases 'Oddysseys'.......2006-12-17

The anticipation of new Sonic Youth discs are always welcomed events amongst fans in the know and 2006 has been an absolute deluge of the old, the new, and in this case, the odd. SY's latest offering is 76 minutes of ear-opening rare compilation tracks and album outtakes spanning from 1994-2004 (no earlier, no later).

It's reasonable to state that SY's website description to "Destroyed Room" was a bit misleading. Often times a b-sides/rarities comp is an uncohesive stew of songs 'not good enough' or 'too different' from a particular group's current art mindset. While The Youth has already tagged 2nd disc outtakes unto "Goo" and "Dirty", this release looked to be a culmination of the throwaways from SY's most recent seven albums.

Thankfully in a twist of rote expectations, "Detroyed Room" is different from hodge-podged outtake anthologies and plays very similar to the stylings of the inward-looking SYR series. Only three of the eleven songs on "Destroyed Room" contain lyrics (2 by Kim, 1 by Thurston) and the other eight are somewhat challenging instrumental compositions that stemmed from album session jams or focused peices specifically meant for concept compilation albums. The mind-bending instrumentals, most notably from the "Sonic Nurse" era, are angluar and rare-tuned oddysseys that demonstrate how this band glides into recording a new record.

In addition to quality music, the "Destroyed Room" booklet is not closet material for you portable cd-casers and/or I-Poders. With a track-by-track analysis, the mystery behind the sounds is explained well enough to leave the listener to do just that, LISTEN, and not question the band's intentions. Having read the band commentary, it'S obvious what The Youth has opted out to offer on this release; straight up experimental jamming.

FYI - Depending on what kind of SY fan you are this could be a warning or a letdown; this disc DOES NOT contain any noise freakouts. But on the otherhand, this disc does not offer great insight to polished outtake songs that are complete with verse/chorus/verse structures. Overall, this disc is good middle-of-the-road material. Spend the money and vote for peace (see the booklet for that reference).

Blissed-out Sonic Goodness.......2006-12-17

I thank Sonic Youth for all the great music they've bestowed on us in 2006 alone...'Rather Ripped', their strongest LP since 'Washing Machine'. The "Helen Lundeberg/Eyeliner" 7-inch. The reissue of their first EP. And now, this...an into-the-groovey double-LP-length ride on the expressway to yr skull.

The subtitle tells you exactly what's here...b-sides and rarities. The emphasis, however, is on instrumental rarities that are ultra-tuff to come by. For me, mood pieces like "Campfire" and "Loop Cat" are definite highlights here. SY took the adventurous route with 'Destroyed Room'...they could've opted for some "safer" choices like "My Arena", "Superstar" or the cover of Nirvana's "Moist Vagina" from the "Sunday" 7-inch. But no. This record will challenge you straight outta the box with the 10-plus minute "Fire Engine Dream", which manages to sound exactly like what the title suggests. Oh, and the track-by-track notes are entertaining, too.

But let me say this. When I found out that 'Destroyed Room' was going to contain the full 26-minute version of "The Diamond Sea" complete with alternate ending, I just about "done a double backflip", to quote Roger Miller. I listened to this track today while fighting my way through Tulsa Christmas shopping traffic, and it prevented me from losing my patience and killing fellow motorists. God, what a song.

You may be saying, "Well, if it's so damn good, why only 4 stars and not 5?" I like to keep the 5-star rating meaningful, so I don't give it to every record that blows my skirt up. 5 Stars means 'Blonde on Blonde'. 'Velvet Underground & Nico'. 'Fun House'. You get the idea. Surely you will understand.

A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides & Rarities

Average customer rating:

Made me a big fan
Approximately the best box set ever
A bit more info...
Great Box Set Filled With Low Rarities and Surprises
A quality band

A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides & Rarities
Low
Manufacturer: Chairkickers Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Long Division
Trust
I Could Live in Hope
Things We Lost in the Fire
Secret Name

ASIN: B0002BO0EO
Release Date: 2004-07-20

Tracks:

Lullaby (Demo)
Cut (Demo)
Heartbeat
Peanut Butter Toast And American Bandstand
Tired
I Started A Joke
The Plan (Demo)
Prisoner (Demo)
Prisoner
Tomorrow One
Turning Over
Bright
Walk You Out
Tear Down
Standby
David & Jude
Cheek

Tracks:

Venus
Boyfriends & Girlfriends
Surf
No Need (Version 1)
Be There
Lift
Joan Of Arc
Long Long Long
Lion/Lamb (Demo)
Will The Night (Demo)
Last Breath
Joan Of Arc (20 Below Mix)
Old Man Song
Try Try Try
Lord, Can You Hear Me?
Venus (Time Stereo Dub Mix)
Those Girls (Song For Nico)
Silent Track 1
Bonus Track 1
Bonus Track 2
Bonus Track 3

Tracks:

I Remember
Kindly Blessed
Blue-Eyed Devil
Sleep At The Bottom
When You Walked
Back Home Again
Don't Drop The Baby
Surfer Girl
Blowin' In The Wind
Open Arms
...I Love
Carnival Queen
Overhead
Don't Carry It All
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Because You Stood Still
Fearless
Shots & Ladders

Customer Reviews:

Made me a big fan.......2007-03-22

Before I bought this boxset, I had listened only to "Trust" and "The great distroyer". They where already a great band for me. But after, they became classic.
This fine collection of songs and videos are a demonstration of artists facing different stages of music production: demos, b-sides, collaborations, covers, live. And they are so good at them! Watching the videos, I was shocked with Sparhawk's onstage attitude.
This box will get you into low. Highly recommended.

Approximately the best box set ever.......2005-08-10

The band Low is a treasure and this box set is a gift. The videos of their "greatest hits" on the fourth disk alone make this collection worth buying. Low's other disks including the Great Destroyer are all terrific, but I suggest that this box set is a place to start if you haven't heard them.

What does Low sound like? A couple of the covers they chose seem revealing: The Beatles' Long Long Long and Pink Floyd's Fearless. Quiet and powerful. They are a band of great vocals and harmony, exceptional and sympathetic instrumentation, and they seem to control time.

Even though there are many great songs in the box set, my favorite song here has to be Low's cover of the Journey song Open Arms. I can't help it and I can't explain the appeal of the song and why I gladly anticipate the part where the singer's voice cracks. I listened to the song ten times in a row when I first got the set and numerous repeat listenings to it over the past six months. To put this in perspective, I watch American Idol and I don't care for anything I hear on the show, but I listen to Low's skewed version Open Arms and find it to be completely appealing.

Something else odd: I find the video for the song Words to be extremely comforting to watch. In black and white, the band sits in a boat on a frozen lake. It captures Duluth perfectly.

One other thing I note about Low is that they are the greatest punk band since the Velvet Underground. To play so slowly and quietly and in harmony against the background of a noisy world is the most radical form of music available. Completely defiant, engaging, religious, scary.

A bit more info..........2004-10-19

Here's a slightly more detailed tracklisting in regard to the musical contents on this set-

Disc 1:
01 Lullaby (demo)
02 Cut (demo)
03 Heartbeat (Live at American University, Washington D.C.)1994
04 Peanut Butter Toast and American Bandstand (When I'm Hungry, I Eat: Songs About Food | GMZ001)1996
05 Tired (Low e.p. | shine 48 Australia) 1994
06 I Started a Joke (Jabberjaw...Pure Sweet Hell compilation)1996
07 The Plan (demo)
08 Prisoner (demo)
09 Prisoner (The Curtain Hits The Cast lp bonus track) 1996
10 Tomorrow One (The Curtain Hits The Cast lp bonus track) 1996
11 Turning Over (finally... e.p.| Yard U.K. 22) 1996
12 Bright (version 2) (outtake from The Curtain Hits The Cast sessions)
13 Walk You Out (outtake from The Curtain Hits The Cast sessions)
14 Tear Down (outtake from The Curtain Hits The Cast sessions)
15 Standby (outtake from The Curtain Hits The Cast sessions)
16 David & Jude (previously unreleased)
17 Cheek (Duplex Planet compilation)

Disc 2:
01 Venus (SP-392 7") 1997
02 Boyfriends & Girlfriends (SP-392 7") 1997
03 Surf (Australian compilation track)
04 No Need (version 1) (Dirty Three/Low TG183) 1997
05 Be There (version 1) (Over The Ocean U.K. B-side)
06 Lift (The Paper 7" split- Papercut 004) 1997
07 Joan of Arc (TUGS-001 7") 1997
08 Long Long Long (TUGS-001 7") 1997
09 Lion/Lamb (demo from Secret Name sessions)
10 Will the Night (demo from Secret Name sessions)
11 Last Breath (Secret Name lp bonus track) 1999
12 Joan of Arc (20 Below Mix) 1999
13 Old Man Song (Secret Name lp bonus track) 1999
14 Try Try Try (Secret Name Japanese cd)
15 Lord, Can You Hear Me (A Tribute to Spacemen 3"- rgirl2)1998
16 Venus (Time Stereo Dub mix) (Tigerstyle cd split) 2001
17 Those Girls (song for Nico) (Tigerstyle cd split) 2001

Disc 3:
01 I Remember (alternate take, B-side of Immune single)
02 Kindly Blessed (Secretly Canadian compilation)
03 Blue-Eyed Devil (TELEconned: We Want the Airwaves- TRG 89380-2) 1998
04 Sleep at the Bottom (Transient Waves 7" split- rgirl4) 1998
05 When You Walked (Shanti Project Collection- Badman Records)
06 Back Home Again (Take Me Home: A Tribute To John Denver BRCD995) 2000
07 Don't Drop the Baby (previously unreleased)
08 Surfer Girl (Live In Belgium)
09 Blowin' in the Wind (Duluth Does Dylan- Spinout Records) 2000
10 Open Arms
11 ... I Love
12 Carnival Queen (Naked In The Afternoon: A Tribute to Jandek- SUM 10) 2000
13 Overhead (Dinosaur Act B-side TUGS-024) 2000
14 Don't Carry it All (outtake from Things We Lost In The Fire sessions)
15 Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me(CKM003 7") 2001
16 Because You Stood Still (CKM003 7") 2001
17 Fearless (Canada e.p.- Rough Trade) 2002
18 Shots & Ladders 2 (Canada e.p.- Rough Trade) 2002

Great Box Set Filled With Low Rarities and Surprises .......2004-08-16

This superb 4-Disc box set of rarities, live tracks and demos will prove to be a delight for all Low fans. This is definitely NOT an elaborate best-of sampler of the world's greatest slow-core/sad-core band as virtually none of the offerings on hand were culled from their previously released CDs. All of the tracks are relatively obscure and were either never before released or were available on strictly limited edition small label singles. Disc 4 is a DVD that includes a surplus of live music videos (as part of the "Closer Than That" film) as well as several documentaries.

This set has been out since July 20th but Amazon has still not updated the correct tracklisting. For the record, then, A LIFETIME OF TEMPORARY RELIEF: 10 YEARS OF B-SIDES AND RARITIES consists of the following:

Disc 1:
01 Lullaby (demo)
02 Cut (demo)
03 Heartbeat
04 Peanut Butter Toast and American Bandstand
05 Tired
06 I Started a Joke
07 The Plan (demo)
08 Prisoner (demo)
09 Prisoner
10 Tomorrow One
11 Turning Over
12 Bright
13 Walk You Out
14 Tear Down
15 Standby
16 David & Jude
17 Cheek

Disc 2:
01 Venus
02 Boyfriends & Girlfriends
03 Surf
04 No Need (Version 1)
05 Be There
06 Lift
07 Joan of Arc
08 Long Long Long
09 Lion/Lamb (demo)
10 Will the Night (demo)
11 Last Breath
12 Joan of Arc (20 Below Mix)
13 Old Man Song
14 Try Try Try
15 Lord, Can You Hear Me
16 Venus (Time Stereo Dub mix)
17 Those Girls (song for Nico)

Disc 3:
01 I Remember
02 Kindly Blessed
03 Blue-Eyed Devil
04 Sleep at the Bottom
05 When You Walked
06 Back Home Again
07 Don't Drop the Baby
08 Surfer Girl
09 Blowin' in the Wind
10 Open Arms
11 ... I Love
12 Carnival Queen
13 Overhead
14 Don't Carry it All
15 Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me
16 Because You Stood Still
17 Fearless
18 Shots & Ladders

Disc 4: DVD
- Documentaries: Closer Than That (includes live videos for Will the Night, Weight of Water, Don't Understand, Immune, Home, Dinosaur Act, Words, Shame, Over The Ocean, Canada, Looking Out For Hope), In the Fishtank, and Making of Trust

A quality band.......2004-08-06

It's funny how Amazon's page for this box set only lists 10 tracks in the track listing. In fact, there are over 50 songs spread out over 3 CDs, and there is a double-sided DVD which features 3 documentary films and all of Low's music videos to date. If you want to see a more complete track listing, visit chairkickers.com.

You also get a nice booklet with liner notes for all of the songs and lots and lots of pictures..

I really enjoyed the music videos. Before I picked up this box set, I had only ever seen the videos for "Words" and "Shame," so getting to see the others was a treat. I thought the video for "Canada" was very clever - I thought that letting Alan and Mimi's daughter hold one of the red balloons from the "Shame" video was a nice touch.

The documentaries are great, especially "Closer Than That." I've always been of the opinion that Low is a great band, but after seeing these documentaries I am more certain of that opinion than ever. Even though Low tends to attract only modest-sized audiences when they tour, I'm impressed by the care and dedication that they put into their music.

Sometimes people will say that "Low isn't for everybody" but I think that's a shame because while Low may sound different from most other bands, they are really do make great music that deserves a much wider audience. Anyone who likes to hear music by musicians who really care about their music should listen to Low.

Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities, 1978-2001

Average customer rating:

A musical gem-chest is finally unlocked...
Amazing Collection of B-Sides
Exhaustive.
Go to Napster and buy the whole thing for $10
its a shame it had to come to this.

Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities, 1978-2001
The Cure
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Pornography [Deluxe Edition]
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ASIN: B0001906O0
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Tracks:

10:15 Saturday Night
Plastic Passion
Pillbox Tales
Do the Hansa
I'm Cold
Another Journey by Train
DeScent
Splintered in Her Head
Lament (Flexipop Version)
Just One Kiss
The Dream
The Upstairs Room
Lament
Speak My Language
Mr Pink Eyes
Happy the Man
Throw Your Foot
New Day
The Exploding Boy
A Few Hours After This...
A Man Inside My Mouth
Stop Dead

Tracks:

A Japanese Dream
Breathe
A Chain of Flowers
Snow in Summer
Sugar Girl
Icing Sugar (Weird Remix)
Hey You!!! (Kevorkian 12" Remix)
How Beautiful You Are (Clearmountain 7" Remix)
To the Sky
Babble
Out of Mind
2 Late
Fear of Ghosts
Hello I Love You (Psychedelic Version)
Hello I Love You
Hello I Love You (10sec Version)
Harold and Joe
Just Like Heaven ('Chuck' Remix)

Tracks:

This Twilight Garden
Play
Halo
Scared as You
The Big Hand
A Foolish Arrangement
Doing the Unstuck (Saunders 12" Remix)
Purple Haze (Virgin Radio Version)
Purple Haze
Burn
Young Americans
Dredd Song
It Used to Be ME
Ocean
Adonais

Tracks:

Home
Waiting
A Pink Dream
This Is a Lie (Palmer Remix)
Wrong Number (Smith Remix)
More Than This
World in My Eyes
Possession
Out of This World (Oakenfold Remix)
Maybe Someday (Hedges Remix)
Coming Up
Signal to Noise (Acoustic Version)
Signal to Noise
Just Say Yes (Curve Remix)
A Forest (Plati/Slick Version)

Amazon.com

A testament to the Cure's explosive creativity, Join the Dots is also an ode to the band's remarkable consistency. Spanning the group's entire career, it'll keep fans happily burrowing away for hours; days, even. Disc 1 concentrates on Robert Smith's early growth spurts, when his jerky goth-pop blossomed with depth and savvy. Disc 2 recycles some of Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me's motifs (there's a touch of "A Thousand Hours" in "Breath," for instance), and pays tribute to their early-90s Mixed Up Madchester phase with "Harold and Joe." Elsewhere, there are covers of "Young Americans," Depeche Mode's "World in My Eyes," "Purple Haze," and three versions of the Doors' "Hello I Love You," as well as more recent material like an acoustic version of "Maybe Someday" from 2000's Bloodflowers. The handsome packaging features a complete career retrospective partially narrated by Smith himself. As a capstone to a brilliant career, Dots is a sublime walk down memory lane for tortured hearts and melancholy moods. --Matthew Cooke

Album Description

Subtitled - B-sides & Rarities 1978-2001 - The Fiction Years. First-ever collection of hard-to-find gems in a career-spanning four-disc remastered set. As The Cure nears its third decade at the forefront of pop culture, Universal, Rhino & Fiction/Elektra are celebrating the band's remarkable career with this collection. 70 tracks compiled by Robert Smith, 25 on CD for the first time & 10 tracks previously unreleased. Includes 76-page booklet featuring rare & previously unseen photographs & a complete Fiction discography. Packaged in long-digibook format. 2004.

Customer Reviews:

A musical gem-chest is finally unlocked..........2007-02-20

It has been a long-held belief by many, if not most, Cure fans that Robert Smith often chooses to hide away the most beautiful of his works, striking them from the track lists of the "official" Cure albums, and placing them instead elsewhere (usually, in difficult-to-find places.)

"Join the Dots: B-sides and Rarities" fuels that belief even further, as nearly any listener could tell from the very first playing of the compilation. Essentially, this 4-disc set is Robert's way of finally unlocking the stored-away gem-chest of beloved yet elusive material, which many fans had for years been hoping would be opened.

The strongest sections of this compilation are definitely the second and third discs. Why so many of these songs were never A-sides is a mystery known only to Robert and to God.

Among the very greatest works on "Join the Dots" - which happen to also be among the very greatest Cure songs ever made - are:

Breathe
A Chain of Flowers
Snow in Summer
To the Sky
Signal to Noise
Waiting
2 Late
This Twilight Garden
Home
Halo
A Pink Dream
Fear of Ghosts

Also notable are Burn, More Than This (which is not, as some erroneously think, a Roxy Music cover), the Exploding Boy, Coming Up, and Out of Mind, among a few others.

The Dizzy Mix of Just Like Heaven also proved to be quite nice, however it would have been preferrable to include the much more scarce (and better) Extended Dizzy Mix of the song, in my opinion.

All in all, this compilation is one of the very best bets for Cure fans, along with Disintegration and Wish. It could also combine well with Greatest Hits.

Amazing Collection of B-Sides.......2006-08-25

From the saturnine appearance of Robert Smith it looks like he's spent the better part of his career wallowing in self pity with very little time to put out a prodigious library of music. Maybe he is depressed but he isn't lazy. His work ethic is clearly shown in this dazzling collection.

Made up of b-sides covering over 20 years Follow the Dots never disappoints. The material is strongest at the beginning but song quality never falls off precipitously. It's amazing that this is all B-side material!

I give it the highest possible rating!

Exhaustive........2006-08-24

An exhaustive overview of pretty much all b-sides and rarities by the Cure during their tenure on Fiction Records (1978-2001), "Join the Dots" is a critical collection for fans. Around five hours of rare Cure music is contained within the four CDs of the set, and while some of the material left out can be annoying (more on that in a minute), this is a superb resource for any of us who try and gather the entire output of a band.

The set runs chronologically, providing a fine overview of the band's career as much as anything else. The Cure always seemed to fill their b-sides with interesting material, from the early days (jaunty, clean tone punky "Plastic Passion") to much later (the absolutely superb "Sugar Girl"). Like many bands, in teh '90s the Cure became involved with tribute albums ("Purple Haze") and soundtracks ("Burn", "Dredd Song"). Some great performances ended up on these, "Burn" in particular from the Crow is highly regarded, and while there are bound to be some things you won't care for (for me it's the occasional 12" remix and some of the b-sides that just sound incomplete and unmemorable like "Halo"), it'll be someone else's goldmine.

The only really noticably missing stuff on here are the a-sides-- "Killing An Arab", "Charlotte Sometimes", et.al. While these have all been released in one fashion or another, it'd be nice to see all of them collected in a convenient (and remastered!) package as some of them never ended up on albums.

Per usual good boxed set standards, the entire set has been rematered-- it sounds great, crisp and clear with an opportunity to really appreciate the subtleties of the pieces, and includes extensive liner notes about each disc and a detailed discography.

I can't imagine anyone but a real diehard of the band would want this, but for those of us who fall in that category, "Join the Dots" is a great set. Recommended.

Go to Napster and buy the whole thing for $10.......2006-04-12

I really really love this album. With that said, you must be wondering why I'm giving it 3 stars. Well ... the entire first disc of b-sides is amazing, while the other 3 quickly dive from "ho-hum" to the point where you're scrapping the barrel for good tracks.

... AND this would have gotten 5 stars if it were the first (essential) disc for only $10. After breaking the first disc, I pondered whether or not to buy the whole thing new. And then I found it on Napster for $10; think of it as a "great b-side album from 3IB - Head Cure + 3 bonus discs."

Yay!

its a shame it had to come to this........2005-08-18

well,here it is.the box set tying up all the loose ends.all the unreleased b-sides to the dozens and dozens of cure singles are here.for years,the cure always put out a unreleased b-side on all thier singles to dupe thier cult like fans into forking over more cash.so,in order to keep it straight,you had to basicly glue yourself to mtv for decades and harass the guy at the record store to know when they were coming out.i guess they made enough money off of us and now theyll quit screwing with us and give it all up.ok,theres many things that make this box set cool.1-every b-side since 1978.2-new versions of old singles.3-all thier songs from movies.i will go over them now.before i do,ill tell you all the albums this encompasses.1978-boys dont cry,1980-17 seconds,1981-faith,1982-pornography,1983-japanese whispers,1984-the top,1985-the head on the door,1986-standing on the beach[now only available as staring at the sea],1987-kiss me kiss me kiss me,1989-disintegration,1990-mixed up,1992-wish,1993-show,1993-paris,1996-wild mood swings,later yet-galore,blood flowers and greatest hits.theres also a robert smith composed orchestra album where they play thier great ones.ok disc one includes a few oldie remakes like 10:15 saturday night and plastic passion.theres also the old b-sides from thier career from 1978-1986.any true cure fan has already heard much of this on the standing on the beach album.disc 2 gets into the 1987 and on b-sides.theres a alternate version to hey you and just like heaven.the just like heaven one is good.its a bit lighter than the one on kiss me kiss me kiss me.theres also 3 versions of the doors song "hello i love you".disc 3 continues with the b-sides.i belive they omitted the b-side to "apart" which was play for today.theres a remix of thier good one called doing the unstuck from wish.the purple haze remake of the hendrix tune from a jimi comilation album.the song from the movie the crow called "burn".its pretty good also.disc 4 has the later than late b-sides.theres a new wrong number.theres even an acoustic take on a song!theres also a redid a forest.so thats the rundown.i think it sucks that we have to spend so much money supporting this band that craps all over us.they couldve saved us a shedload of money by simply putting the b-sides on galore and releasing a rarities album.even those 2 discs wouldnt cost as much as this one.bot to any real and true fan it is but a drop in the bucket.

Average customer rating:

His favourite album, and my favourite album
B Sides Ballads
Knettergek...
I am glad I got it!
A question

B-Sides & Rarities
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Manufacturer: Mute U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus
The Proposition
Murder Ballads
Let Love In
No More Shall We Part

ASIN: B00022LJH4
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

Deanna (Acoustic Version)
The Mercy Seat (Acoustic Version)
City Of Refuge (Acoustic Version)
The Moon Is In The Gutter
The Six Strings That Drew Blood
Rye Whisky
Running Scared
Black Betty
Scum
The Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass
The Train Song
Cocks 'N' Asses
Blue Bird
Helpless
God's Hotel
(I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World
Cassiel's Song
Tower Of Song
What Can I Give You?

Tracks:

What A Wonderful World
Rainy Night In Soho
Lucy (Version #2)
Jack The Ripper
Sail Away
There's No Night Out At The Jail
That's What Jazz Is To Me
The Willow Garden
The Ballad Of Robert Moore And Betty Coltrane
King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O
Knoxville Girl
Where The Wild Roses Grow
O'Malley's Bar Pt.1
O' Malley's Bar Pt.2
O' Malley's bar Pt. 3
Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum (by Nick Cave and The Dirty 3)
O'Malley's Bar Reprise
Red Right Hand (Scream 3 Version)

Tracks:

Little Empty Boat
Right Now I'm A-Roaming
Black Hair (Band Version)
Babe, I've Got You Bad
Sheep May Safely Graze
Opium Tea
Grief Came Riding
Bless His Ever Loving Heart
Good Good Day
Little Janey's Gone
I Feel So Good
Shoot Me Down
Swing Low
Little Ghost Song
Everything Must Converge
Nocturama
She's Leaving You
Under This Moon

Amazon.com

In the two decades since Nick Cave (with multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey, who co-ordinated this anthology) bolted the beloved chaos of his native Melbourne's Birthday Party to focus on a solo career informed in equal parts by Poe, Flannery O'Connor and Biblical goth-chic, he and the Bad Seeds have explored enough musical detours and career side projects to yield the 56 tracks that grace this set's three compelling discs. Variously anchored by the acoustic gospel intrigues of "Deanna" and "The Mercy Seat" and a fascination with American roots music that evinces itself with preternatural conviction on covers of Orbison's "Running Scared," Leadbelly's "Black Betty" and the traditional "Rye Whiskey," it's a forceful collection that further underscores the artist's ever literate, neo-cabaret charms. Fans will relish it as a trove of disparate riches, be they soundtrack cuts for Wim Wenders ("Till the End of the World," "Cassiel's Song" from Faraway, So Close) and others ("Red Right Hand" and "Time Jesum.." from The X-Files), cover project highlights (Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song," Neil Young's "Helpless" and "There's No Light Out at the Jail," a loving, previously unreleased tribute to Australian country legend Chad Morgan) or such typically idiosyncratic Cave fare as the playful "That's What Jazz Is To Me" and murderous, three-part "O' Malley's Bar." --Jerry McCulley

Album Description

"THIS IS MY FAVOURITE NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS ALBUM." - NICK CAVE

Spanning the full twenty-one years of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds illustrious career, this comprehensive three CD set, entitled B-Sides & Rarities, presents a thrilling and eclectic retrospective collection of material by the band, some of which has been deleted, featured on a disparate number of soundtrack albums or has never been officially released before. From the menacing 'The Six Strings That Drew Blood', through the distraught 'The Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass', the fragile beauty of 'Little Empty Boat', the outlaw romance of '(I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World', the plaintive 'Bluebird' through to the murderous attack of 'The Ballad Of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane', long term Bad Seeds aficionados, recent converts or the merely curious will find much to appreciate and enjoy in this landmark 56 track compilation.

Album Description

Customer Reviews:

His favourite album, and my favourite album.......2007-01-19

This is Nick Cave's very own favourite album by the Bad Seeds, and this also happens to be my favourite album of all time. I purchased these three discs for about 16 dollars, making it my first Nick Cave CD of purchase. I listened to it all, and it was just perfect.

I've bought a lot more Nick Cave albums since then, in which he has turned out to be my number one favourite artist, but i always look back on this one as my ultimate favourite.

The 3-disc compliation of b-sides and rarities are all good enough to be sprawled across his other albums, but at the same time im happy that this compliation was made. There is too many songs to highlight, but stand-outs included the bluesy jam of God's Hotel with great lyrics, the acoustic versions of Deanna, City Of Refuge, The Mercy Seat and Jack The Ripper, a great upbeat tune called Come Into My Sleep, a magnificent cover of Rainy Night In Soho, Sail Away, and so so SO many more.

This album showed me how good music can get. I highly recommend you should buy it, right now.

p.s although this is under a kids review, i'm not a kid

B Sides Ballads.......2005-11-10

They may be called B Sides and Rarities but there is nothing sub par about these songs. And even plucked out of different eras and line-ups, they actually form a sort of cohesive, deranged, drunken blues and poetry whole.
There are album offshoots, some unashamedly beautiful like Train Song, acoustic versions and jazzed up remixes of classics, like Red Right Hand, Deanna and Scum, there are cover songs and crazy jam session on a theme, both of which apply to Leonard Cohen's Tower of Song, plus live gems like God's Hotel - just listen to what the band does in the background!
For old faithful, this is a treasure box, even if you thought you had it all. I had almost all of these on CD singles and such, but one was rendered inaccessible by technological progress- the track from the X Files soundtrack; it was hidden before the first song and impossible to play on computer CD players. And it's nice to have the whole collection handy on three CDs.
For new fans this could actually be a great, offbeat introduction to the wonderful world of the Bad Seeds: dark humor and great songwriting, with a touch of inspired insanity, in one cool package. Just sample "The Ballad Of Robert Moore And Betty Coltrane", a three minute Quentin Tarantino movie rolled into a song, and you will be exploring Cave in no time.

Knettergek..........2005-10-06

Meestal zijn B-sides en rarities een collectie bijeengeraapte rommel die niet verkocht raakt van een artiest die 'fin-de-carriere' is... maar dit is zeker een uitzondering. Alleen al voor de compleet geflipte versie van O' Malley's bar is het zijn geld meer dan waard. The ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane had eigenlijk ook op Murder Ballads moeten staan...
The Tower of song is beter dan de originele versie. Gewoon supergeslaagd!!

I am glad I got it!.......2005-09-22

What I love the most about this 3 disk set is volume III.
That disc alone is what made buying this worth it. To start it
off, you have "My little empty boat". I fell in love with this
song the first time I heard it. I wonder why he never put that
on of his regular albums. It may be one of his best. The rest of the disc reflects a part of his life that is more personal.
It's calm. I haven't liked his last albums that much, but when
I heard this, I was like what the f---. Why was he waiting so
long to put this stuff out. Volume III is mature. And I don't
mean there is sex and violence in it. It's sophisticated.

A question.......2005-06-02

...Can somebody please explain to me why there's a b-sides with a black cover for 22 dollars and something (and below there it says it's a 3-cd set) and a version with a green cover for 40 something where in the description it says it's a 2-cd set!!! it makes absolutely no sense! I searched the web for an answer but failed...

Average customer rating:

The Water is Wide
AWESOME!
Proving once again that b-sides are more than a worthy buy
My favorite disk
Easy music

Rarities, B-Sides and Slow, Sad Waltzes
Cowboy Junkies
Manufacturer: Latent
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Studio: Selected Studio Recordings 1986-1995
The Trinity Session
Lay It Down
Open
Pale Sun, Crescent Moon

ASIN: B00000J6Z4
Release Date: 1999-06-01

Tracks:

I Saw Your Shoes
Five Room Love Story
Sad To See The Season Go
If You Gotta Go, Go Now
Love's Still There
To Lay Me Down
A Few Simple Words
River Waltz
Leaving Normal
The Water Is Wide

Amazon.com

Rarities, B-Sides and Slow, Sad Waltzes marks the rebirth of Latent Recordings, the label created by the Cowboy Junkies to release their first two landmark albums, Whites Off Earth Now!! and The Trinity Session. Though they've already released a best-of package--Cowboy Junkies: Studio--this is somehow a more fitting tribute to the particular and peculiar vision of the Junkies' music. Comprised of one-offs, rare tracks, and lost demos culled from a decade of recording, it features all the elements that produce Cowboy Junkies junkies. They've never strayed far from their trademark formula, playing stripped-to-the-bones, kinda rockish, kinda countryish, kinda bluesy songs at a somnambulant pace and at room temperature. Even when they get a bit noisy, as on "I Saw Your Shoes," it's a sparse noise, made more by volume than by density. Part of what the Junkies have always done best is applying their aesthetic to songs lifted from others' fakebooks, and their rollicking run-through of Bob Dylan's "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" and their slow-as-molasses lope through Jerry Garcia's "To Lay Me Down" stand among the album's highlights. And there's always the pleasure of Margo Timmons's distinctive voice, which carries much of the Junkies' appeal. Somehow she manages to sound both distant and intimate, kind of like a drowsy lover. Everything she sings sounds as if it's recorded in a vast, dark, and empty room, and she makes the most of it on "River Waltz" and "Sad to See the Season Go"--both lovely, lovely songs. If these are indeed the Cowboy Junkies' castoffs, it proves they're a band that can do no wrong. --Tod Nelson

Album Description

A hand-picked collection of the hit folky alternative rock group's lost classics, including outtakes, unreleased studio versions of concert favorites, long deleted B-sides, cuts recorded for movie scores & tribute albums. 10 tracks. 1999 release. The full title is 'Rarities, B-Sides And Sad, Slow Waltzes'.

Album Details

A Collection of Rare and Never Previously Released Recordings.

Customer Reviews:

The Water is Wide.......2006-02-23

The track, "The Water is Wide", is worth the purchase price of the entire disk. The other tracks are good, but not stellar.

Peace,
Bob

AWESOME!.......2005-10-29

I have most of the Cowboy Junkies CDs and this one is my very favorite! I can listen to these songs over and over and never get tired of them. This is the best of the Junkies. It shows several sides to their musical talent and still all fits together beautifully. Thank you Cowboy Junkies for all the pleasure I have received from this CD!

Proving once again that b-sides are more than a worthy buy.......2003-06-06

It's toned down, relaxed, and minimally produced. It's like having the band in your house for a jam session, and contains some of their best tracks.

My favorite disk.......2002-09-17

I'll be blunt: this is the best disk I've ever purchased, and some of the finest music I've ever heard. Every song on it is a winner. I bought this disk back in 1999 and still 3 years later find myself pulling it out to get a 'fix'. Simply excellent music.

Easy music.......2001-06-01

Very good music for Sunday morning. slow to medium tempo. the lead singer has a very nice soothing voice.

Average customer rating:

The Gathering hands out their bag of goodies for Halloween this past year
The Gathering....One of the most Underrated Bands ever!
And again, The Gathering amazes me
haunting and beautiful

Accessories: Rarities & B-Sides
The Gathering
Manufacturer: Century Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Home
A Sound Relief
Souvenirs
Sleepy Buildings - A Semi Acoustic Evening
Nighttime Birds

ASIN: B000BEZOVA
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Tracks:

In Motion #1 [Live]
Leaves [Live]
Adrenaline
Third Chance [Alternate Version]
Strange Machines [Live]
In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated
When the Sun Hits
Confusion [Eroc Session][Demo Version]
Shrink [Alternate Version][Alternate Take]
Frail [Live]
Theme from "The Cyclist"
Leaves [Live]
Life's What You Make It
Amity [Live]

Tracks:

New Moon, Different Day [Demo Version]
Kevin's Telescope [Instrumental][Demo Version]
Shrink [Demo Version]
Earth Is My Witness [Demo Version]
Diamond Box [#][Instrumental][Demo Version]
Nighttime Birds [Demo Version]
On Most Surfaces [Different Version][Demo Version]
Hjelmar's [#][Instrumental][Demo Version]
My Electricity [Demo Version]
Probably Built in the Fifties [Demo Version]
Illuminating [Demo Version]
Red Is a Slow Color
Travel [Demo Version]

Album Description

The Gathering and Century Media are opening their archives to present a luxurious double CD set full of rare and unreleased material. Disc one from Accessories - Rarities And B-Sides offers "the b-sides" from all of their out-of-print CD singles. Included are such rarities as their cover versions of Talk Talk, Dead Can Dance and Slowdive. Disc two is full of unreleased demo recordings from the Nighttime Birds and How To Measure A Planet? sessions that offer a new take on the songs that are a must for their fans. Accessories... also features detailed liner notes by the band, rare photos and a deluxe package. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

The Gathering hands out their bag of goodies for Halloween this past year.......2006-04-28

Accessories: Rarities & B-Sides(2005). A double disc collection of unreleased B-sides, cover songs, and alternate outtakes of previously released songs.

I still remember picking up Mandylion(1995) two years ago and having it just absolutely floor me with its ethereal atmosphere, non-typical doom pace approach, and of course miss Anneke Van-Giersburgen's deliciously lovely vocals. It was a proto-goth metal album in the sense that they found a sound that many other bands have tried to copy and perfect since its release, long after The Gathering decided to progress into other areas. I can see them appealing to the goth crowd for its different shades of melancholy found in their style. The metalheads out there can also be drawn to Mandylion because of its heavier guitar-oriented approach. Then I bought Nighttime Birds(1997), which continued Mandylion's heavier sound, though while not as hard-hitting as Mandylion was, NB still delivered the goods quite nicely. I've slowly started collecting their other material lately, but my interest in getting everything they've released didn't peak until I recently picked up this collection.

Because it's been a few years since Souvenirs(2003), and also to tide people over until the new album Home(2006) arrives, Accessories offers the biggest fans of the band a ton of its unreleased (and released on singles) material, all crunched into a nicely packaged two discs, covering pretty much everything from their 1995-2000 era.

So what do we have exactly? For starters, disc one is sprinkled with several live versions of some Mandylion tracks, a couple of them performed with a small orchestra backing them. They make for some interesting takes on those particular songs. And of course there are a couple other live takes like 'Amity' off of If_Then_Else(2000) and 'Frail' from How to Measure A Planet(1999). 'Adrenaline' is a Mandylion B-side that got cut from the album because they wanted to maintain a constantly slow doomy pace, and this particular song is much more upbeat and foot-tapping. They still played it live though to make for a nice change of pace. Other reviewers have already stated this, but I'd also like to contribute to the fact that the Slowdrive and Dead Can Dance covers are both phenomenal. I'm usually not so hot on cover songs because they're always a hit-or-miss deal, but in this case The Gathering score big time. The Talk Talk cover is also a decent cover taken from the If_Then_Else sessions. Definitely a prime reason for anyone to consider buying this collection, if not for all the other stuff. 'Theme from The Cyclist' was an outtake written specifically for the short movie in the name.

The rest of the songs on disc one, and taking up all of disc two are alternate outtakes of many of the tracks found on both NB and HTMAP. 'Third Chance' is one of their best faster songs, and this alternate outtake smokes the other one found on NB out of the water. 'Diamond Box' and 'Hjelmar's' are both previously unreleased instrumentals that offer an interesting listen. I still have yet to hear the HTMAP album, so I can't really appreciate its alternate outtakes yet, but I'll make it a priority to find it. I won't go into detail about the differences between the NB song versions, but I will say that if you're a big fan of both NB and HTMAP, these tracks will provide a good look at what the band had to work with.

So is Accessories absolutely a mandatory addition to a new fan's growing collection? Not really, but is it still worth buying? You bet! I'm giving it an easy five stars because of the wide variety of material presented here, plus it succeeded in getting me to want to run out and buy their other releases. It resurged my keen interest, and cemented the fact that The Gathering are definitely within my top 10 favorite bands of all time, and certainly head of the pack when it comes to goth rock type of music. What pushes this band way ahead of its contemporaries is not just in Anneke's lovely voice, and not just because they are outstanding songwriters, but really it's the fact that The Gathering is never content to stay the same. By focusing on delivering unique atmosphere, their music gets them into their special "zone" of lofty heights that not Lacuna Coil, Evanescence, Theatre Of Tragedy, or even Within Temptation can ever seem to reach. (Of course, these bands have their own takes on the gothic rock style, but I'm just a bit more biased toward the Gathering!) They're always looking for new and challenging ways to push the envelope in their music, and so they only seem to be getting better with age. Not to say that Mandylion and NB are lesser than their newer stuff because those albums still absolutely rule, but in effect, each subsequent release succeeds the previous one and gives the discerning fan something new and exciting to chew on. Accessories is a testament showcase to this ability to evolve over time, and perhaps there is no easier way to view this process than with both Accessories and the semi-accoustic live performance Sleepy Buildings(2004). Buy the other albums first, and then pick up this collection. RECOMMENDED TO BIGGER FANS.

Other suggestions:
-Any other Gathering album with Anneke on vocals: 'Mandylion'(1995), 'Nighttime Birds'(1997), 'How To Measure A Planet?'(1999), 'If_Then_Else'(2000), 'Souvenirs'(2003), and 'Home'(2006).
-'Mother Earth'(2000) by Within Temptation
-'In A Reverie'(1998) and 'Unleashed Memories' by Lacuna Coil.

The Gathering....One of the most Underrated Bands ever!.......2006-04-09

Although the year 2005 was one in which we did not receive a new studio album from The Gathering, it is more than likely that the band and fans will still look back on this past season as a successful one. Not only did they release the live double DVD A Sound Relief which was certainly of a high quality, but also this double disc Accessories of rare and live tracks. While it is pretty easy to say that anyone vaguely familiar with The Gathering (and I assume that is practically everyone by now) will absolutely enjoy this record, it is also safe to assume that true fans will love it tenfold because it is a disc that appears to be especially for the fans. Practically spanning their entire career, there are in total 27 tracks on this album, the majority of which are demo outtakes, alternate versions, or live recordings. And while the majority of this material may not be earth shatteringly new, fans will still give their stamp of approval because it bears all the qualities you would come to expect from these Dutch masters.
Breaking it down now, the first disc focuses on the B-sides released throughout the band's career. Here you will find many live gems including "In Motion" and "Leaves" versions which were the first live recordings with Anneke van Giersbergen after the recordings of Mandylion. You also have a nice live version of "Strange Machines" and yet another live version of "Leaves" both of these with full orchestra. The band also shows some of their roots with a couple of cover songs. For my money I found that the cover of Dead Can Dance "In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated" alone practically makes this disc worth the price of admission. Here we see a perfect example that epitomizes every thing that makes this band so great. Anneke's voice is angelic amongst a beautifully haunting atmosphere, creating something both memorable and emotional. Other noteworthy tracks include alternate versions of "Shrink" and "Third Chance" from "Nighttime Birds" sessions.

Disc 2 now is the rarities and can actually be broken down into two different sections. The first is from the "Nighttime Bird" sessions and the second from "How to Measure A Planet" Anyone who has listened to these albums before will recognize alternate versions of classic songs (some quite more different than others) What I found interesting here are some unreleased instrumentals "Diamond Box" and "Hjelmar's" along with an instrumental version of "Kevin's Telescope". As a whole, the second disc may lose a little momentum coming off the first, but with such a large quantity of material there is hardly anything to complain about. The packaging is also first class with some great photos and information on the majority of the tracks. In conclusion, I am certain that fans of The Gathering already possess this record, and I would recommend this collection to anyone who is remotely interested in their music. - Joe Grammatico

And again, The Gathering amazes me.......2006-01-01

The Gathering, to me, has always been an escape from the everyday music you hear. So when I heard they were releasing a B-sides and rarities collection I was more than happy. Every expectation I had, they met. I'm dumbfounded as to how The Gathering can create such innovative and beautiful music, yet they're still somehow overlooked. From the epic orchestrations to Anneke's jawdropping voice, there's no reason that everyone shouldn't love this music. Needless to say, if you liked The Gathering before you got this CD, if anything you'll like them more coming out of listening to it.

Disc one acts as the B-sides. A lot of B-sides have horrible sound quality but the ones on this compilation sound as if they were on a CD but were taken off at the extreme last minute. There's a polished feel but not so polished that the music feels fabricated. The live versions featured on here are astounding. If you didn't look at the back cover to know they were live, you'd never guess it. Anneke's voice is gorgeous and the band is just simply amazing. How they don't miss a single beat I'll never know. The covers, Dead Can Dance's In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated, Slowdive's When The Sun Hits, and Talk Talk's Life's What You Make It are about the best covers I've ever heard. Quite often you hear a band just desecrate the original but with The Gathering, it feels like they took they're time while doing the originals justice.

Disc two serves as the rarities section. From the opening track, New Moon, Different Day, you know that The Gathering is eons better than almost any band playing music today. Anneke's vocals simply soar and will give you goosebumps, that I will guarantee. It doesn't end there though, each song is equally as good as the last. Even the demos have a sound quality that could rival a studio CD. The two previously unreleased instrumentals, Diamond Box and Hjelmar's stand true to the ones that are released. The beauty is palpable and shows tremendous skill, skill that no radio band will ever come close to. Travel from the CD How To Measure A Planet? has always been my favorite song by The Gathering. To hear the demo is really something though, it sounds completely different while still sounding exactly the same. My second favorite track of their's, Nighttime Birds, is the same case as Travel. I do think Anneke's vocals are stronger on Nighttime Birds though.

Overall my favorite songs are In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated, Frail, Life's What You Make It, New Moon Different Day, Nighttime Birds, and Travel. The Gathering is a band I've always found to be one that you have to experience rather than listen to. Yes, you can pick favorite songs but overall, each CD they released, and even this collection, seem to be made to go together. Each song seems to flow into the next seamlessly. In my opinion, no band does this genre more justice than The Gathering does.

haunting and beautiful.......2005-12-02

All fans of The Gathering need to check this out, especially those in the States where the majority of these songs are nearly impossible to find anywhere else. This compilation is worth buying for "In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated" (Dead Can Dance cover) and "When the Sun Hits" (Slowdive cover) alone; both are heartbreakingly beautiful and feature some of Anneke's finest vocals.

Fans of The Gathering's albums Mandylion and Nighttime Birds will be delighted with "Adrenaline," a very catchy song that was written because the band needed another fast, simple, rocking song to play at concerts.

I think The Gathering's greatest album is How to Measure a Planet, and it is awesome to finally hear the demos for songs like "Travel," "My Electricity," and "Red is a Slow Colour." "Travel" especially went through a lot of transformations before its final version.

This double-CD has so much to offer. There are also detailed song descriptions written by the band and several photos on the inside booklet.

Fly on the Wall: B-Sides & Rarities 1991-2000

Average customer rating:

A must for completists and Wellerheads
Great pacakge from a Great Artist!!!
Cheap Way to Buy Rare Out of Print Paul Weller Singles
Because the studio albums don't tell the whole story.
Essential collection for fans of post-SC, Post ýJam period

Fly on the Wall: B-Sides & Rarities 1991-2000
Paul Weller
Manufacturer: Ume Imports
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Catch-Flame!
As Is Now
Illumination [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD]
Paul Weller - Two Classic Performances
As Is Now - Deluxe Version CD/DVD Set

ASIN: B0000A0C4M
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Tracks:

Here's a New Thing
That Spiritual Feeling
Into Tomorrow [Demo Version]
Arrival Time
Fly on the Wall
Always There to Fool You
All Year Round
Ends of the Earth
This Is No Time
Another New Day
Foot of the Mountain [Live]
Wild Wood ['Portishead' Remix]
Kosmos ['Lynch Mob Bonus Beats' Remix]

Tracks:

Loved
Steam
It's a New Day, Baby
Year Late
Eye of the Storm
Shoot the Dove
As You Lean into the Light
So You Want to Be a Dancer
Everything Has a Price to Pay
Right Underneath It
Helioscentric
There's No Drinking After You're Dead ['Noonday Underground' Remix]
Riverbank
Science ['Lynch Mob' Remix]

Tracks:

Feelin' Alright
Ohio
Black Sheep Boy
Sexy Sadie
I Shall Be Released
I'd Rather Go Blind
My Whole World Is Falling Down
Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City
Waiting on an Angel
Bang-Bang
Instant Karma
Don't Let Me Down

Customer Reviews:

A must for completists and Wellerheads.......2006-03-18

This nice miniboxset is a must for all you Weller fans and contains some bsides that are better than alot of his album tracks. Tracks like Fly on the wall- everything has a price to pay- a year late- the portishead remix of wildwood- and Heres a new thing are quality tunes that most artists would kill for. The covers album is solid but not great but the abundance of experimental tracks and remix material shows Weller isnt the "safe" musician some critics claim he is. Theres some acid jazz-techno- alittle triphop and ambient scattered on a few songs-something that he doesnt get credit for. The lower price makes this a good buy and a tidy way to collect all those expensive ebay oop singles. For the new or casual fan this may not be essential but you could do no harm by picking this up!

Great pacakge from a Great Artist!!!.......2003-09-09

All I can say is, Paul Weller is GOD!!!
I have been a huge Weller fan since the Jam days, and just about everything he does is excellent. It is a shame that the rest of the U.S., does not recognize his greatness.
This 3 cd box set contains all of Wellers b-sides, and covers that have not been released in the U.S. . Many of these b-sides have already been released in Europe, and Japan, but not here.
See him live, when he tours the U.S. in October of 2003.

Cheap Way to Buy Rare Out of Print Paul Weller Singles.......2003-09-08

Having spent a lot of time, money, and effort in purchasing dozens of the many Paul Weller singles on CD since 1990 (and not being able to find many that I'd like for a reasonable price) I welcome this compilation. Yes, there are many throw away tunes here including Kosmos but the covers and the live cuts all together in this box set are really nice to have on only a few long playing CD's instead of the stack of CD singles I constantly have to look for. This "Fly on the Wall" compilation is only for the serious Paul Weller fan I'd imagine. If you want to have a great Paul Weller compilation full of listenable hits then "Modern Classics" with the bonus live CD would be to your liking, or his latest "Illumination" album with the DVD that is quite moving and not unlike the early Rod Stewart "Gasoline Alley" album in its overall sound, especially the cut "Going Places." The reason this compilation of songs is necessary is that most of these are deleted and rare CD's and are on many labels. This box set puts them all together. Plus, Paul Weller will get the profits with your purchase that he richly deserves for three decades of fine music.

Because the studio albums don't tell the whole story........2003-09-08

Fly On The Wall is a 39 track, 3 CD compilation of B sides, rarities and cover versions. The discs are packaged in a lovely white box. Also enclosed is a handsome booklet that features photographs and liner notes by former NME scribe John Harris.

As you can tell from the tracklisting above, Fly On The Wall is an essential purchase for the Paul Weller fan. Everything included here is of a very high standard. I'm particularily fond of the remixes by the likes of Brendan Lynch, Portishead and Noonday Underground (although for some odd reason Lynch's wonderful rearrangement of Sunflower is absent).

There are a few unadventurous souls out there who feel Paul Weller should still be fronting The Jam (see the other "reviews" for proof), in the meantime the rest of us will sit back and enjoy a boxset that contains some of his best ever material.

Essential collection for fans of post-SC, Post ýJam period.......2003-09-05

Fly of the wall does just what is says, collects the b sides and extra tracks from the endless stream of singles Weller released in his "solo" career. IMHO the quality slides downhill from the first few releases, but being a huge SC fan and a (not as big) Jam fan I found most of Weller's mid to late 90s stuff not much fun and essentially forgettable Cream/Oasis style guitar work outs anyway, so I am baised.

The covers album is ok, but only serves to highlight how few good songs Weller composed himself in the 90s. While few of the cover songs strike me the way that "You Do Something To Me" pretty much all of them are better than the other Weller album tracks from the period. (One would expect that from a cover, otherwise why choose to cover it, but still)...

Fans are gonna need this set (especially since some of the mid 90s CD singles from Weller have "turned" and are essentially unplayable I find) but the general public should take a pass. If you must own a Weller solo album stick with his most recent or his best of.

B-Sides & Rarities
Average customer rating:

Nine Tracks Not On Any 7M3 ALBUM

B-Sides & Rarities

Manufacturer: Atlantic/Mammoth
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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The Economy of Sound

ASIN: B000LPJOSS

Product Description

PRINTED CARDBOARD SLEEVE WITH ARTWORK/Seven Mary Three / B-Sides & Rarities Track Title 1. Shelf Life 2. Blackwing 3. Lame (Acoustic/Electric) 4. My My 5. Home Stretch (Acoustic) 6. Water's Edge (Alternative) 7. Lucky (+Bonus Tracks)

Customer Reviews:

Nine Tracks Not On Any 7M3 ALBUM.......2007-03-03

A very cool, Limited Edition CD from Seven Mary Three entitled "B-Sides & Rarities" (Atlantic/Mammoth CD 8339-2). Includes all of the band's rare b-sides and live tracks released to date (1998) on one CD. None of these tracks are on any Seven Mary Three album (some come from compilation CDs or rare promo CDs and some are new and unavailable anywhere else). This CD was originally given away free to consumers in the US who purchased the band's second album RockCrown, and hasn't been seen since. Also includes two hidden tracks - rare mixes of Cumbersome ("acoustic" and "acoustic w/ drums") that were previously only available on a rare radio station 3 track promo CD. Tracks include...

1. "Shelf Life" (Outtake from American Standard Sessions - released on "Crow-City of Angels" Soundtrack)
2. "Blackwing" (Outtake from American Standard Sessions - released on "Music For Our Mother Oceans" Various Artists CD)
3. "Lame (acoustic/electric)" (REMIXED VERSION - from "Water's Edge" European Maxi CD Single)
4. "My My" (LIVE IN TORONTO, March 2nd 1996)
5. "Home Stretch (acoustic/live)" (Recorded For Modern Rock Live, June 1st 1997 - COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENT)
6. "Water's Edge (alternate/live)" (Recorded May 6, 1997 For A Live Cybercast - DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENT)
7. "Lucky (live)" (Recorded May 6, 1997 For A Live Cybercast)
HIDDEN TRACKS
8. "Cumbersome (acoustic)" (REMIXED VERSION)
9. "Cumbersome (acoustic with drums)" (REMIXED VERSION)

Music:

Music

Music