9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
NOT a Collection of Throwaways, May 21, 2002
This review is from: Besides (Audio CD)
It has been my experience that, for the majority of the time, b-sides, outtakes, demos and soundtrack contributions from musical artists are usually left off of "official" albums for very good reason. Sure, it's fun to collect oddities and cover songs but, generally speaking, they rarely compare to the album material and/or singles. So it's very refreshing to find this collection from Buffalo Tom that sets a shining example of how these types of collections should be done. The generous 18 tracks of b-sides, compilation contributions, and covers found on "Besides" (which should only be purchased after you buy "Asides") span the band's ten plus year career and includes some really nice tracks that are on par with their best work. Many long-time fans have probably heard many of these songs before but the two new "previously unreleased" tracks , "Anchors Aweigh" and a cover of Teenage Fanclub's "Guiding Star" are worth adding to any previous collection you may have put together. Also included are a fun soundcheck cover of the Stones' "The Spider and the Fly", the terrific "Never Noticed" and the piano driven "Bumble Bee". The band also contributes some good liner notes to the collection, explaining the origins of these tunes and why they didn't make it on to any of their full-length albums. For fans of the band this is a must own and for new fans, I suggest "Asides" (a best-of collection) first, followed by this one...the "Ying" (Asides) is better overall but this "Yang" is also a lot of fun.
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