Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An album for die hard fans, November 8, 2002
If you are like me and have the complete Smog catalog, then this is a nice compilation of some earlier hard to find material. If some one were to come to me and ask me what Smog album to get first I would point them to 'Red Apple Falls' or the 'Kicking A Couple Around' EP. For die hard fans of Smog, this album has it all: the depressing songs, the dry humor, and the powerful song writing that keeps you coming back for multiple listens.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
mixed bag..., February 17, 2003
This album is basically a compilation of imported 7 inches / CD singles from the past decade plus some BBC tracks and a new song. I'm torn on this album. The new song 'White Ribbon' doesn't do anything for me. But, 'Wine Stained Lips' makes the whole purchase worthwhile. With lines like 'some people shouldn't drink wine at parties / some people shouldn't have woke up this morning' it's hard not to chuckle a little. 'Chosen One' is another classic Smog song. Then you have 'Just Like Napoleon', which sounds like a bad high school metal band with a pasty white boy talking really fast about something he heard during his History period earlier in the day.I guess my main problem is the questionable song selections and sequencing. Here are some b-sides that I think would have fit better, or could should have been tacked on: Grey & Castles
Be Hit
Duckpond Blues
37 Push-Ups But that's just me. I'm glad Drag City released something, although a bit incomplete and inconsistent. For the people new to the world of Smog, I would have to say go with 'Kicking a Couple Around' or 'Doctor Came at Dawn' and come back to this later. There's nothing wrong with this, it just sounds a bit bipolar.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Good resource for fans, March 29, 2008
A great resource for Smog fans, although there is supposedly much more that could have been included. While diehard fans will continue to salivate for a fuller B-sides collection (Accumulation: None offers just a dozen songs), the title may be an obscure comment on the world of B-sides. "Real Live Dress" is just wierd, and all Smog "My anaconda don't want none, unless you got buns, hun/ Baby's got back/ I like big buns" Callahan intones over a dirge-like guitar. While Smog fans will find everything here to be of interest, the more fully realized songs are the better, thus "Came Blue" holds more interest, utlimately, than the tape-looped "Astronaut," and "I Break Horses" holds up better than "Floating." All in all, this collection is evidence both of the depth of Callahan's catalog and of his one-of-a-kind deadpan style. Contains the whole of the Cold Blooded Old Times single, among the best of Smog's detritus, from which both "Chosen One" and "I Break Horses" come, although the inclusion of the acoustic version of "Cold Blooded Old Times" is questionable, as it varies little from the album version. Of course the defining moment here is "A Hit," which tells you everything you need to know about Callahan's ethic: "It's not gonna be a hit/ so why even bother with it?/ just lay it down and forget about it."
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by Smog 
