Best Of Breathe [Import]

Breathe | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 6, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B0009F9L4W
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,997 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

When British Pop band Breathe released their debut album in 1987, their label had high hopes for mainstream success. Over six months later, the label and the band had all but given up on the hopes of having a hit and were set to part ways. But then 'Hands To Heaven' started to achieve airplay in the U.S. in 1988 and began a long and phenomenal climb up the charts. Needless to say, 'Hands To Heaven' became enormous and continues to receive airplay 20 years after it's initial release. The band followed it up with two more hits ('How Can I Fall?' and 'Don't Tell Me Lies') and two albums filled with more Blue Eyed Soul/Jazz/Pop gems, but their fame was fleeting and the band faded from view in the early '90s. Fortunately, this great CD brings together the best of both of their albums and features the hits as well as 'should-have-been' hits like 'Say A Prayer', 'All This I Should Have Known' and more. 12 tracks in all. EMI. 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Remastering -- But Beware Of Copy Control Technology!, March 3, 2007

By 

Jason W. Bellenger (Byron Center, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Best Of Breathe (Audio CD)

"Hands To Heaven" has suffered from poor mastering ever since it made the CD format back in 1987. Even the 'More Pure 80s' CD compilation from 2000 (Universal Records) couldn't bring any new light to this classic U.S. #2 pop and #1 sales single. In fact, the Breathe catalogue has suffered the same fate as other CDs manufactured around that time -- that is, the late 80s/early 90s flat, poor mastering that record labels carelessly threw out to music fans.

Finally, the music gets it's chance to shine here on this 'Best Of Breathe' 2004 EMI Phillipines CD release. It's like listening to the songs for the first time! "Hands To Heaven", one of my favorite singles ever, is a mellow recording, so I wasn't expecting miracles out of the mastering by Ray Ang. However, the recording finally has some width and depth! It sounds fantastic!

Next up is "How Can I Fall?", a #3 pop and #1 sales hit in 1988. Again, compare this to your original 1987 CD pressing, and the differences are huge. Listen to those crisp drums and that roaring bass in the chorus. Their Top Ten single "Don't Tell Me Lies" sounds like it's been mastered in a whole new dimension. It actually has punch and kick! It sounds incredible in comparison to the original flat CD master. It actually does have a bass line, believe it or not! These recordings have never sounded more crisp.

The disc includes all five of the band's Billboard Hot 100 hits, all of which placed in the Top 40. In addition to the above three Top Ten hits included are Top 40 hits "Say A Prayer" (#21), in both it's original and remix, and "Does She Love That Man?" (#34). Notably missing from the compilation is the U.K. #60 single, "Jonah".

At 12 tracks, the collection does fall a bit short. Even though Breathe only released 2 studio albums, a number of their singles featured exclusive 12" remixes and b-side tracks. So where are these? Ah yes, in the vaults ... or lost. They will probably never find their way on CD. And I've never heard any of them!

Now on to the major flaws. The disc features the horrible "Copy Control" technology. What does this mean? It means that the disc will probably be difficult to rip into digital files onto your computer or onto your digital music player. If you do manage to rip the music you may be left with annoying little pops and clicks that interrupt the audio throughout. I am left using an audio editing program in order to remove the annoying little pops! It is not fun having to personally try removing the annoying little pops in "Hands To Heaven", especially when you can't remove them all! Of course there are ways around this, such as capturing the audio into your computer from an outside source. This annoying technology just makes enjoying the music even more difficult.

Note that this is a 2004 release with an apparent 2007 reissue. EMI discontinued it's use of the "Copy Control" technology back in 2006. However, this release seems simply to be the leftover stock from the intial pressing run. I have no idea if EMI intends to reissue this without the protection. Or maybe it has already, and I just ended up with one of the old pressings.

In any case, it's still a solid collection to own, if you can get around the copy protection and forgive the tracklisting flaws. Above all, it's nice having these select tracks in remastered quality for the first time ever! 5 stars for the mastering, 3 stars for the tracklisting, and 1 star for the copy protection!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A copy purchased in May 2007 still has copy protection, May 27, 2007

By 

Jeffrey D. Smith (Research Triangle, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best Of Breathe (Audio CD)

One of the other reviewers wondered whether he had an old pressing of the CD, since it contained the copy-protection software. For those considering a purchase of this CD, please note that (at least as of this writing) your recording will contain slightly annoying, intermittant "static-like" sounds after it is transferred to a computer hard drive. (If anyone knows of a way to get around this problem without actually editing the music file, please post your solution to the reviews here -- thanks!)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete, melodious splendor, August 2, 2008

By 

Mature4evr (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Best Of Breathe (Audio CD)

While by no means a misrepresentation of Breathe's proficiency, this CD's spread lacks some of their more colorful recordings. In fact, my only complaint lies with the omission of anthems like "Jonah", "Woman" and "Where Angels Fear" (the reason behind my rating of four stars). Despite those missing few, the remastered tracklisting is exceptionally top-notch -- very befitting of a greatest hits album. That said, I strongly recommend this compilation to fans of Breathe and solid, musical styling alike. Cynics, there's no better time to tear that skepticism asunder!