20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

The Tubes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 17, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B00004ZDW1
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,468 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Tubes Hits, Episode One, The A&M Years, February 21, 2003

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

Since The Tubes rather neatly split their recording career into two distinct periods for two different labels, the only way to get a true greatest hits collection is to buy two CDs. That sufficiently solves your dilemma of where the "hits" are. But since this disc encompasses the A&M years, it essentially is the weird years. "The Millennium Collection" covers the first four Tubes albums, even dropping in one from their punk-jazz experiment "Now." It also pares some of the excess of the first two albums down to the essentials. You get the instant skewed classics "White Punks On Dope" and "What Do You Want From Life" from album number one. I have always considered "White Punks" to be the more insolent twin to Steely Dan's "Show Biz Kids," savagely tearing at the spoiled Hollywoodites The Tubes so loved to lampoon. The band got better fast and expanded their targets for the "Young And Rich" album, getting equal digs at contemporary disco as well as the outrageous Phil Spector/Girl Group send up of "Don't Touch Me There." By the time they got around to constructing a concept album around (what else?) media culture, The Tubes had mastered their game. "Remote Control" is The Tubes' best album, their last shot at eccentric rock vision and social satire. Both "Tubes World Tour" and "I Want It All Now" flirt with the desire of being kings of the culture while at the same time looking at the world with one eyebrow arched.

I hold back on a five star call here because I found the package a bit skimpy ("Smoke" from "Now" and a couple more "Young And Rich" selections would have made this a better set). But if you pick up the Capitol "Best Of The Tubes" in addition to "The Millennium Collection" CD, you'll have as good an overview of the band as you're likely to piece together on your own.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Buy only because 2nd and 3rd albums out of print..., April 1, 2003

By 

Stephen E. Andrews "Writer" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

If ever a group have been badly treated by the current holders of their recordings copyrights, it's The Tubes. Amazingly, their superb first album stays in print while the superb second album 'Young & Rich' is long deleted and (unforgivably) their third album 'Now' remains unreleased on CD, which is astonishing when one thinks how many ... lounge albums from the 60s are back again...
If one has to buy a Tubes compliation, it must be for the tracks from 'Y & R' and 'Now': 'Tubes World Tour' from the former is one of the most exiciting pieces of pure 70s rock music ever, beautifully produced, with stunning sequencer runs that make Moroder and tangerine Dream look like pikers, while Roger Steen's textbook lead guitar solo at he the start is what rock is all about. 'Pound of Flesh' from now features amusing lyrics, fantastic synthesis from Michael Cotten that explodes from your speakers at the coda.
Quite simply, The Tubes were one of the finest bands of the 70s (their 80s stuff is fun, but merely the best stadium AOR of the decade when compared to the avant-classic rock they produced from 75-78). Live they were amazing, on record unstoppable. Buy the compliations just to build your collection, but ensure you berate A & M to get 'Y & R' and 'Now'onto CD....

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Disregard Previous Review-THIS is the best Tubes Collection, January 7, 2001

By 

Sam Bethune (Lincoln, Nebraska USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

Please don't pay attention to the previous reviewer who referred to this collection as a disgrace and advises readers to buy T.R.A.S.H. instead. The latter has a terrible edit of "White Punks on Dope", the band's signature song, whereas this CD features the song EXACTLY as it was recorded on the first Tubes album. It also features a live version of "Mondo Bondage" that isn't nearly as good as the studio version which appears on this CD (and also on the first Tubes album).

This is by far the better collection, but don't take my word for it. Listen to both and judge for yourself. If you liked "White Punks" as much as I did, you'll pass on T.R.A.S.H. and buy this one instead.