Customer Reviews

B-Sides

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Enough has been said, lauded, and expressed in amazement of this young man's talent, both musically and lyrically. Certainly "O" was one the greatest debut CDs in a long., long time, and wanting more from him is the inevitable feeling you probably were left with, after listening to his first full album.
Now comes, not the first, but possibly the best EP released in the wake of "O." Most selections included are either unreleased demos ("Lonelily"), sketches of songs you'll know ("Volcano"), great live stuff ("The Professor & La Fille Danse" or "Delicate"), and, probably, represent the best of this EP.
Among the several EPs Damien Rice has released over the last twelve months, I consider "b-sides" to be his most satisfying one, and representative of Rice's deep talent and promising career.

After finishing my first introduction into the world of Damien Rice with his Closer album, "O", I had to immerse myself into more. His music is lyrically beautiful and his sound will pull you from wherever your life is into a state of serenity and emotion. His music is like an addiction, and I couldn't just stop with one album, so, as a gift I was handed "the B-sides" which holds some of Rice's lesser-known songs.

What I loved the most about this album was the raw taste that Rice presented. There are a few more moments of profanity, less of a "album" feel, and so much more emotion that you can literally cut it with a knife. There is this sensation of going on an adventure without any money in your wallet when listening to this album. Rice unplugs himself for some of the songs like "Woman Like a Man" and "Volcano (DEMO)". For me, this gave me a deeper insight into the music of this great artist. I adored the instrumental version of "Volcano" because it showed me another side of his musical talent. If you listen to the "Volcano" version on "O" then listen to this instrumental version, I think you will feel two different things. The instrumental version seemed haunting and extremely sad, while the other was a bit more uplifting. This is what I love about his music, you can find yourself in two places while listening to the same song.

My personal favorites from this album were "Volcano (DEMO)" and "The Professor". I recommend this album to anyone wishing to explore more of what Rice has to offer. If this is your first taste of Rice, you may be a bit disappointed, but for those growing number of fans out there ... this is a perfect album to add to your collection!

Grade: ***** out of *****

Damien's is absolutely amazing. He can do no wrong!!! I haven't heard a song I didn't love! From the covers he's done at concerts to the B-sides collected here the music is just beyond words. It had been so long since I heard true talent in a musician that I begun to think I would just have to live in the past but then Damien came along and with Lisa, Vivian, and Tomo has revived a raw natural music that is so awesome. It is so refreshing to hear something that is what it is. It's not synthetic, it's not fake or toyed with. It is pure brilliance at it's best!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this ep. The lyrics, guitar riff layout, and personal intimacy surpasses that of so many other artists I've heard. This is my favorite product that Damien Rice has put out, hope he does more simple ep's like this.

I find myself looking for other albums that make me feel the way I do when I listen to Damien Rice. To me, he's the complete package: great lyrics, hard-won musical chops, and restrained production. The first three songs on B sides are great examples of his work -- they fit right in with "O", which is on near-constant rotation both at home and in my car, and which I often give as a gift to close friends. "Moody Monday" is less typical - it has a more produced, trip hop vibe, minimal lyrics, and Damien singing in a fairly whiny style that doesn't exactly beg for the "repeat" function on your stereo. I also barely listen to the rest of the tracks - between "O" and the Live Album, I already have two versions of "Delicate.: (Though it is nice to hear him introduce the song in his Irish accent. Makes me long to return to Dublin.) It's interesting to hear the original demo of Volcano, to hear how far he's come, but the recording itself is low-quality and incomplete, included more for fan interest than as a real alternative to the fantastic versions of the song on "O" and the live album.

Bottom line: this CD is worth it for the first three songs alone. They're a full-strength dose of artistic honesty, integrity, and experimentation.

I'm a huge fan of Damien, for out of most new acts he is the only one with the guts to really create something new, fresh and different. He tries to give us a taste of something we've never had the opportunity to experience before. 'B-Sides' is no exception. While not as solid as 'O', I say this only because it's not as long, for the musical selection here is still very strong.

Damien starts us off with 'The Professor & La Fille Danse' which is the most effective track here. It's musical arrangment perfectly fits the lyrical message about the using of women for pleasure. The song describes, in a somewhat explicit and disturbing nature, the fact that this man knows nothing about this woman. The line "and the d*ck left inside only half understood her" perfectly (while vulgarly) explains the predicament that this poor woman is being used for a purpose.

The next track is 'Lonelil y', which appeared on the single for Cannonball (another brilliant track) and this song, while not as strong as the previous, has a possitive message about love and being with the ones you love. None of us want to be lonely. I like the lyrical message in this song, almost as if they took their relationship for granted and then realized they'd rather be together. The chorus chanting "your coming home" and you believe that.

'Woman like a Man' is one of my favorite tracks by Damien. This song is ellegantly done with beautiful harmonizing. The song itself is a little difficult to follow, I'm still trying to figure out what he's getting at, but I think I got it. It appears as if he's pointing out the role-factors of the sexes today, how men and or women want the bennifits received by the other sex and that sex alone. That's just my take though...

I LOVE 'Moody Mooday' if not for the brilliant lyrics then for the way Damien tackles this song. There's a track on 'O' that makes me feel this same way, and that track is 'Cold Water'. On that song, Damien sings as if he were drowning. You believe him. Here it's the same. He sings "I find it hard to breath" and he sings this with such strain in his voice you know he's struggling to deliver each word. The lyrics are deep in their simplicity, and wording it the way he has, with "why d'you have to break free" almost as if she was his captive and then "why d'you have to phone" letting you know she left him in an impersonal mannor but then his comment "someone else you'd rather phone" leads you to believe it was never personal. I personally think she's a hooker...but that's just my take on the song.

The live cut of 'Delicate' is a little to soft. I just think it was poorly recorded. I know it's live but it's no where near as polished as the live cut of 'The Professor...' It's still a wonderful song, it just loses a bit in the translation.

The album closes out with an instrumental and demo version of 'Volcano' which suceeds on both efforts. The instrumental is beautiful but to me it's the demo that stands out as one of my favorite additions to this album. It's raw and downplayed, slow and passionate and it really adds to the umph you get from the powerful lyrics of an immature and maybe even quilty relationship. I just love the whole feel of it.

So there you have it. Yet another brilliant offering from Damien, and something that should hold us over until his next album...let's just pray it comes soon!

how much you want this is determined by how much you love Damien Rice, if you have both albums and love every track then go ahead and buy this; if you only like his hit songs on his albums you probably wont dig this as it's very rough and raw.

_B-Sides_ is delightful. Vocally, Rice is absolutely flawless, and his acoustic guitar licks are vibrant. "Lonelily" shines above the rest here, though, being an extremely catchy ballad with a lush guitar melody. It's heartfelt, beautiful, and comes off as being quite an emotional tune. Normally, I wouldn't recommend checking out a b-side unless one an avid collector, but the songs on this release are gold.

the album is really great.
I really liked it
the cost is quite reasonable.
I also liked the packaging

This seven track EP is a great introduction to the talent of Damien Rice. Taking the B-Side tracks to many of his singles, Damien strings together a great display of his raw and superb musicianship. `O' is undoubtedly the superior offering, but `B-Sides' still serves up the goods in a way that only Damien can.

There are two live cuts here; `The Professor & La Fille Danse' and `Delicate'. `The Professor...' is the superior of the two. It's such a masterful song. I remember hearing it live a few years back. I was in a small auditorium up in the balcony and Damien unplugged his guitar and sat at the edge of the stage and sang this song as loud as he could. It was marvelously done. That's the feeling I get when listening to this recording; as if Rice were sitting right next to me. `Delicate' is a tad softer in its recording. If you've heard the studio version then this is one you'll enjoy for it ups the raw factor; which is really what we love so much about Damien's music in the first place.

`Moody Mooday' is very different. I don't know if it's really a track I'm all too excited over. Parts of it I actually really like, but as a whole it doesn't really stay with me. The chorus I don't particularly care for, but the fragile vocal structure that creates the verses really moves me. The way Damien and Lisa fight for each word is creative and mesmerizing at the same time. It reminds me a bit of `Cold Water', which made it onto `O'. I personally feel that `Cold Water' is a much better track, but the similarities are undeniable. I never skip this song, so maybe the more I hear it the more I'll enjoy it.

`Lonelil y' and `Woman Like a Man' are both extremely well done songs; you'd never guess them for B-Sides. They are both brilliant enough to have graced `O' and probably should have. `Lonelil y' is an uplifting ballad, drastically different from most of Damien's offerings. `Woman Like a Man' is probably one of my favorite tracks Damien has ever recorded. It just flows so well, reminds me of the vibe I got from `Volcano' the first time I heard it.

Speaking of `Volcano', there are two versions of that masterful `O' offering here; the instrumental and the `97 demo. The instrumental is just that, beautiful music, but the demo is really where the highlight is at. It lets you experience Damien in his rawest and purest form. It's a drastic difference from the studio cut that made it onto `O' but it's a powerful experience. Damien truly is one of the most talented and inspirational acts in music today.