Customer Reviews

1011 Woodland

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These old and new Fixx songs sound really nice done acoustic. But to say that the whole albun is acoustic like some have said is wrong, because it has some really nice electric guitar work on it as well. Jamie is a great guitarist. My band is going to do an acoustic cover of Driven Out. This version of Driven Out is exactly how I had imagined doing it, it's quite a bit different than the original or the live versions. The only song I was let down with was One Thing Leads to Another, it kind of sounds out of place with the rest of the album. I also think the old version of Two Different Views is better than the one on this album. So if you are a Fixx fan you will really enjoy this album. I hope the Fixx will continue to release albums of this quality.

I've been listening to the Fixx frequently for almost 2/3 of my life. When I hear some of the music out today, I rush back to my Fixx records. They have that '80s sound but with their own unique style (so many bands of today lack this uniqueness). When I heard about this CD--new, acoustical versions of some of their tracks--I could not wait to buy it! I imagined many great possibilities. My expectations may have been a little too high, but it is still a very pleasant album of some of their best material.

I am very pleased they chose to re-do a few of my favorite tracks that may not be as well-known as their big hits ("Woman on a Train" and "Cameras in Paris"). The best renditions are "Driven Out," "One Jungle" (very well-done, awesome guitar), "Stand Or Fall" (the ending is powerful, very different from the original studio track), "Saved By Zero" (this version is also very powerful with cool electric guitar riffs and solo, probably the track that differs most from the original), "Woman on a Train" (this also has a very different guitar riff at the intro), and "Still Around" which is simply beautiful. I was a little disappointed by "Secret Separation." It is one of my favorite Fixx tracks, but the acoustical version doesn't seem to do much for it. It may be a little too mellow for my tastes, since I've loved the song for its driving sound. "Lost Planes" also misses the driving synth riff in the original. Also, in my opinion, the beautiful track "Read Between the Lines" would have been a better choice than "Wish" or "Precious Stone."

The live tracks at the end (not acoustic)--"Red Skies," "One Thing Leads To Another," and "Deeper and Deeper" seem very out of place. The only reason I can see for adding them is that there may have been the perception that no Fixx compilation album could be complete without them.

This is probably a CD for the FIXX fanatics more than for casual fans who would most likely prefer the original versions. Reading Cy Curnin's introduction in the CD booklet, this record was obviously very important to the band and they took great care in recording it. I am glad to have it in my collection.

Nothing new here, but a very nice performance, with some interesting takes. Nothing here makes my main Fixx MP3 playlist, but that's not because it isn't good, it's just that they basically repeat the studio work. Instead, this is a good CD to stand by itself, a Fixx concert for the car for example. Well worth the price to have, I still listen to it every now and then.

i admit i was a bit skeptical when i heard the fixx(one of my all-time favorites)were redoing they're old material.so much of it has been released on various live albums that i thought "what's the point?"

well...i was pleasently blown away by the sheer beauty and artistry of these reinterpretations. do yourselves a favor and give this cd a chance. highlights: "outside","wish",lost planes",one jungle".

This acoustic unplugged format for bands who want their music to come across in a way that purifies it, and gets to heart of the songwriting aspect of it, is sometimes a wonderful excercise in honesty. The Fixx do that very well on 1011 Woodland. As a yoot who saw and met the boys back in 1985 following their mega popular Reach The Beach era, it's easy to want to turn back the clock. But this collection proves that the Fixx can still play and perform with simple, yet complex musical muscle. This collection leans on the old and the new equally. Making the reviewer wish there was more on the old. The Fixx peaked in the 1980's and for good reason. Their sound was a high tech twang undergirded by electronic flourishes and Cy Curnin's stream of consciousness lyrical paintings. The end result is something lodged firmly in 1986. But that is not a bad thing. 1011 captures that without being pretentious. It's organic without being electronic. It strips the music down to it's pure intent. And for the most part it succeeds. The best of the bunch are "Driven Out" and the sparse version of "Stand or Fall". Some songs hold up better than others. Disc two turns into a plugged in affair at the end which makes one wonder if the record label needed some filler to finish. Either way, Fixx fans need this as a guidepost to find the band in the new millenium. Overall a real winner.

It's really a shame that many people still haven't heard their music. I think this is one of the most under-appreciated bands ever. Cy Curnin and the band are so incredible. The vocals, music, lyrics, and melodies are simply incredible. I would put them in my top 10 list of my favorite bands of all time, right there with The Beatles, The Who, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, The Cure, etc. And this Cd is one of my favorite. The vocals are crystal clear and the music is as beautiful as any work of art. I highly recommend giving the band and this CD a listen.

Surprisingly, some of the cuts are better than the originals. I love the Fixx so I am a little prejudiced, but even non-fans will appreciate the excellent craftmanship attributed to each cut.

This CD is recorded as an unplugged, live performance without an audience. Unplugged means that they did not use amped-up electric guitars on this one. The tracks are all perfomed very well. There are no dropouts, missed vocals or other anomolies. Sure, they probably went back and re-recorded some stuff to make it perfect. Each song is recorded track-at-once, not all strung together with applause or band banter. In fact, there is no banter by the band on this one. I wish they would have put more of their hits on here, but they did include a few.