Customer Reviews

The Annie Lennox Collection (Deluxe Edition) (Incl. 2 CD's + DVD)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was really looking forward to seeing somethnig really special on the DVD, but the videos for "A Thousand Beautiful Things" and "Pavement Cracks" are a total letdown. "ATBT" is dubbed from the "Bare" album and contains no live recording. "PC" is even worse cos the audio obviously comes from the album and is playing through while Annie is just standing there moving her hand slightly, to the beat, and not singing much, but appearing to be doing a lot of "oooooooh" as you can tell, by the facial expressions she's making. "Little Bird" is a fun video and it's nice to finally have it on DVD. Can't understand why it never appeared on Annie's "Totally Diva" video collection DVD.

There are a lot of great videos and the DVD showcases Annie's flawless ability to change her looks & style from one video to the next. I don't appreciate not being able to skip from one vid to the next. Even on my computer, the videos cannot be skipped until each one finishes, and then you can choose which one you want to see, from the menu. Seems the DVD wasn't truly thoughtfully put together. This compilation does terminate Annie's BMG contract, and I think it's more a fluke on the record company's side, rather than on Annie herself. Why would such a truly devoted artist & woman want to make her fans unhappy? I honestly don't believe the poor quality of the DVD is Annie's fault one bit, that's for sure.

As for the packaging itself, the discs are going to be subject to a lot of wear & tear because they are so tightly packed into the front and back covers of the package, they will get scratched and worn very fast. I took my discs out of their tight confinement and placed them in a suitable double sleeve which fits both discs. This, I placed inside the digipack.
The booklet (attached to the right panel of the item, contains neat pics and all the lyrics & Annie's sentiments on each song. I like this, cos I didn't know the lyrics to all the songs from "Medusa". There is a nice two-page collage featuring Annie in her video clips, as well as a few others. The last two pages are funny because it's Annie in her "Little Bird" DVD, eyes open wide and her priceless grimace.

The two new tracks are great and terminate a pretty nice collection of Annie Lennox songs quite well. Oh, and I wanted to say, in the amazon description of this item, it says there are the videos + more, on the DVD. What else is there supposed to be? Am I missing something? I say, buy the "CD Only" edition, if you're looking for quality. The CD only edition is housed in a jewelcase. Otherwise, get this deluxe edition, because if you don't already have at least the "Totally Diva" DVD, at least you'll have most of the material from it, on this DVD now. Both DVDs are good to have though, if you're a true Annie collector.

The reason I didnt give this a perfect score is because the dvd is missing the two new videos..Pattern Of My Life & Shinning Light! They should have included these! If nothing else if they didnt have them ready by the time this went to press they could have released the cd now and the dvd later. and included ALL of her solo videos! The videos are also missing "Lovesong For A Vampire". Also they didnt include a play all feature..it returns to the menu after each video plays..the picture quality on Cold is poor too. Other than the tacky work on the dvd the CD is EXCELLENT! Except the songs are the album versions and not the singles versions. Which isnt bad but if you preferred the single versions you'll be getting the original album versions of these great hits! Wish we would have gotten the three disc set like the UK will be getting but you can download it on Itunes. It includes "Everybody Hurts" REM cover featuring Alica Keys! Also includes "Into The West" so check it out too on Itunes. The package is cute ...I like the booklet. Overall its good but I feel they could have made it a more complete collection for the US fans. Like they are doing in the UK by adding the two new videos and a second cd of rare songs. Annie is and will always be my favorite diva it is a shame of how poorly they promote her in the states.

I'm not going to review the CD since there will be plenty of reviews for that on the single disc version page. This review is strictly in regards to the packaging and bonus DVD on the limited edition 2 disc version.

First, the packaging on this edition is the same as with the "Songs of Mass Destruction" limited edition. A cardboard gatefold sleeve with the discs loose inside.. no protective sleeves, so they are scratched from the moment you remove them.

The DVD: Video quality is poor. Sound is 2.0 Dolby Digital. There is no "Play All" function and each video is a separate title, so the disc returns to the menu after every video. "Walking on Broken Glass" has been redubbed using the album version, not the proper single mix (resulting in lots of black screen at the end while the song finishes). "Pavement Cracks" is the worst made-up video ever, with static shots of Annie singing the song live, overdubbed with the album version which doesn't match, and to top it off, they left the TCR timecode showing thru most of the video so it looks really stupid.

I can't recommend this version at all.

A Collection of her greatest input over the last twenty years was something I always wanted on cd and yet this collection is very disappointing, even over two cds and a dvd to boot.

The hits are here: WHY, NO MORE I LOVE YOUS, LOVE SONG FOR A VAMPIRE, PAVEMENT CRACKS, LITTLE BIRD etc but for two cds there is plenty of room for extra tracks like TRAIN IN VAIN, THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE, LEGEND IN MY OWN ROOM, MONEY CAN'T BUY IT, HONESTLY, BITTER PILL, ERASED, even PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART with Al Green. Instead we get somewhat predictable and rather formulaic songs like A WHITER SHADE OF PALE, PATTERN OF MY LIFE and SHINING lIGHT.

I do not know why MEDUSA and BARE are woefully under-represented especially as A WHITER SHADE OF PALE is the dullest track on the whole MEDUSA album. I CAN'T GET NEXT TO YOU, DON'T LET IT BRING YOU DOWN, DOWNTOWN LIGHTS, TRAIN IN VAIN, THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE are all amazing interpretations that have stood the test of time.

In fact THIN LINE... has to be, in my opinion on of the greatest cover versions I have ever heard: the close vocal really gives a sense of underlying menace to the song. And on BARE, why is HONESTLY not included? It has it all , melody, lyrics and a wonderful "contrapuntal" verse she sings in accompaniement to the main verse. Also I would have loved to see BITTER PILL and ERASED on the compilation to show the more ballsy side of Annie.

I really think Annie should release a more comprehensive album than this. there was plenty of room on Disc 2 for many more tracks. I know it consists of rarities and out-takes. But that voice of hers needs to be shown in all its glory

This is a very safe collection and rarely shows the daring groundbreaking Annie Lennox that we love

For a single cd collection, I would have choosed the following songs:

WHY
WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS
PRECIOUS
LITTLE BIRD
NO MORE I LOVE YOUS
TRAIN IN VAIN
WAITING IN VAIN
THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE
PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART
A THOUSAND BEAUTIFUL THINGS
PAVEMENT CRACKS
HONESTLY
LOVE SONG FOR A VAMPIRE
LADIES OF THE CANYON
INTO THE WEST
GHOSTS IN MY MACHINE
DARK ROAD
SING


If I could add a second cd, the possibilities are limitless!

There may not be a thousand songs in this collection but post-Eurythmics, Lennox has produced 4 albums spanning 15 years with songs that resonates so well with any real music lover. Heartfelt and often introspective, she has come a long way. Collected here are the songs and singles that made it big. From the seminal Why, Walking on Broken Glass, Little Bird to No More "I Love You's" and Wonderful, there's too much to mention. Listen to Why and tell me who the original Diva is. On Songs of Mass Destruction, there's the anthem Sing, a pledge to the AIDS cause featuring a whole host of female artists in pop tody. The videos are nothing short of spectacular except the badly-conjured Pavement Cracks mash-up video. Watch Why, Little Bird and Waiting in Vain and enough is said.

For a true Lennox fan, this collection does not replace the joy of owning each of her 4 albums that offer so much more than you can ever find in music today. My favourite will be "The Saddest Song I've Got" from Bare, "Why" from Diva, "Downtown Lights" from Medusa and "Lost"from Destruction.

For a good summary of Lennox's solo career thus far, The Annie Lennox Collection serves its purpose quite well.

For hardcore fans, go for the British limited edition with a bonus B-sides CD and two extra videos (the two new songs) on the DVD.

Package and selection: B
Content: A+

I had most of the songs on this album before, so I bought it mainly for the DVD with the music videos and the few songs that I was missing- I am not disappointed. If you are just starting on your Annie Lennox, I suggest purchasing Bare and Diva instead.

Great collection and a good assortment of rarities on the second disc. It's nice to finally have these videos on DVD! NOTE-This import DVD is NTSC and is playable on US players. This was the main reason I bought the deluxe edition as the the DVD is not available with the US release. The booklet however, is glued in by it's last page which warped it since it's not card stock, why bother?, I would have preferred it to be loose. The only thing that would have made this better would have been a few of the remixes that were done of some of the songs since not all of them were easy to get domestically over the years. Here's to Annie making enough new music to do fill another retrospective in the years to come.

As a performance artist, Annie Lennox is an incredibly talented and brave contributor to us all, and continually blesses us with her gifts and interpretations. She never gets "old", she continues to "develop" and present views that are hers and all of ours. Such a good experience. Mary M.

Having now had a chance to watch all the videos and listen to the CD, I just can't say enough how much I love all this music. Any Annie Lennox fan will find many of their favorites here, and for newbies, it's a great introduction to the Diva of White Soul.

I really love "Pattern of My Life." With "Shining Light," it's one of the new songs here, and it alone is worth the price of admission. I wasn't familiar with it before (it's a cover of a Keane song), but it's one of those that just connects on first listen. "Shining Light" is a little too joyous for my tastes, as Ms. Lennox's voice is best showcased when expressing angst and pain. (There's a reason they call it "blue-eyed soul," and nobody does it better.)

Other than weak authoring on the DVD (specifically, there's no ALL PLAY function), I don't get what the complaints are about. Most of these videos were made 10-15 years ago for TV, so the image quality is exactly what you'd expect.
The "Pavement Cracks" video has a raw disconnect with its non-synching and rough cuts. Frankly, I think a previous reviewer misunderstood this video- it's SUPPOSED to be like that. And it's great to see many of her classic videos again on a big screen. Like her music, they always hold up and entertain. It is regretful that the two new videos are not included on the US version of the DVD, but that's more likely Sony's calculation than that of the producers or artist herself.

The Collection is beautifully packaged, with a lovely photo & lyrics insert, and a touching dedication. All around, this is a great bookend for Ms. Lennox's solo career with Sony. I expect the UK/Eur version to be even better with its extra audio tracks and two extra videos. It's always a shame that record companies contrive these regional versions, as someone always ends up feeling short-changed. But that's just the music business. Annie Lennox has made some phenomenal music since her Eurythmics days, and this Collection, whichever version you get, really showcases the best of it.

For those who are disappointed with the dvd, pre-order the UK version and get 16 videos - including Love Song for a Vampire, and the two new songs!