Customer Reviews

Best of Everclear

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There most definitely is an Everclear sound. They are instantly recognizable, and that is a good thing. Alexakis and company, while maturing over the years, have created alternating harrowing ("Wonderful") and humorous ("Volvo Driving Soccer Mom") tunes that have the same song structure, production quality, etc.

They only use, like, five notes. Honestly, Art's vocal range is minimal. His melodies are all variations on a theme, but who cares? Spread over several albums it might get weary, but by cherry-picking the most irresistible cuts, it presents a defining picture of a very cool band.

Even the guitar playing. Dum, dum, dum, da-da-dum, dum. That rhythm is found in every bass line or rhythm guitar in their canon, it seems. But again, who cares? These guys make it work, and work well.

So, the CD will in essence blow away the casual fan, yet as expected, frustrate the more serious fan who may be more familiar with the entire body of their work. The essential tracks are here, and presenting them this way does emphasize their similarity, but doesn't take away from their greatness.

Opening with "Wonderful", and it's painful observation of divorce, is brilliant. Then the hits come fast and furious, with "Santa Monica", "Everything to Everyone" and the joyous "AM Radio". "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom" is a hoot. "I Will Buy You A New Life" continues the Everclear sonic hit parade.

Then I began to lose interest. It became easy to skip a track ot two. The album is front-loaded with the big tunes. The second half of the album loses consistency, but it did give me a taste of some other aspects of Everclear's career.

Overall, I think it's the perfect album for a casual Everclear fan. If you like one of the singles, you'll find plenty more where they came from.

Rabid Everclear fans will likely be disappointed or unimpressed, but since they probably have all the albums already, would be best served by a rarities-type compilation.

Everclear's Best Of is a great CD for anyone to own.

This is a great Everclear best of CD. I am glad there are 21 songs and that it is almost 80 minutes long. There are 2 b-sides on here called Local God (from the Romeo And Juliet soundtrack) and The Boys Are Back In Town (a Thin Lizzy cover that was originally a hit off of the Detroit Rock City soundtrack). There are also 2 new songs on here that were originally recorded during Everclear's recording sessions for their previous CD Slow Motion Daydream. The new songs are called Sex With A Movie Star (The Good Witch Gone Bad) and The New Disease.

The songs and what I think of them is the following:

#01. Wonderful - This is a great pop sounding song from them. It is a big hit too. This is a great song to listen to when you are in a good mood. Even though the lyrics sound happy, they are not.

#02. Santa Monica - This is a great rock song from them with a great beat and great words. This is this first big hit and the song that made them famous.

#03. Everything To Everyone - This is another good rock song that was a big hit. This was followed by other hit songs that broke them into the mainstream music concious.

#04. AM Radio - This is another big hit with a 70's feel to it. It surprised me by how popular it became. This is not a favorite of mine off of here, but I like it. It is a necessity for this CD.

#05. Volvo Driving Soccer Mom - I like this song a lot. It was a hit but not a big one. This song did not help their CD Slow Motion Daydream sell well because not many people liked this song I guess or that album.

#06. I Will Buy You A New Life - This song was a huge hit. I think it was either this song, Santa Monica, Father Of Mine, or Wonderful that was their biggest hit. This is the song that broke them into the mainstream music concious and made them a household name. If you didn't know Everclear from their song Santa Monica off their CD Sparkle And Fade, you now did because of this song off their CD So Much For The Afterglow.

#07. Learning How To Smile - I don't remember this song being a hit. But it is another kind of pop song from them. It is not as good as Wonderful in my opinion. Both these songs can be found off of their CD Songs From An American Movie, Vol. One: Learning How To Smile, which is their most pop sounding CD.

#08. Strawberry - This song was a small hit. It is a slower song, but I like it and the acoustic guitar that you can hear throughout the whold thing. I like the words to this song and how well they go with the music.

#09. Local God - This song was a hit in Austraila. I am not sure if it was here in the U.S.A. But it sure sounds like it was, because it is a great sounding rock song and sounds like a big hit. This is the first b-side off this CD. It was originally on the Romeo And Juliet soundtrack. If it wasn't a big hit, then that is because it is a off a soundtrack and wasn't promoted right. This is a favorite Everclear song of mine.

#10. Summerland - This is another hit, not a big one or small one though. In the booklet for this CD Art Alexakis says about this song: Hands down... my favorite Everclear song of all time. This is a slow rock song. Not a favorite of mine, but I like it some.

#11. Fire Maple Song - This was not a hit. But if it was, it would have been their first one. This is the only song on this compilation CD off their first CD World Of Noise. This song is alright. It is growing on me. It is another slower rock song. I wish they included another song or two from their first CD on this compilation than some others included on here.

#12. When It All Goes Wrong Again - This is their first hit off of their CD Songs From An American Movie, Vol. Two: Good Time For A Bad Attitude, which is the more rocking of the two Songs From American Movie CDs. This is another rock song. I prefer their song Rock Star over this one. Both songs are on Good Time For A Bad Attitude.

#13. Father Of Mine (Radio Mix) - Father Of Mine was another huge hit from Everclear. This is the radio mix version, so if you have So Much For The Afterglow, this version may sound a little different to you. But it still sounds good. This is Art Alexakis's favorite version of this song. This is Everclear song has touched and helped more people than any other.

#14. The Boys Are Back In Town - This song was originally a hit off of the Detroit Rock City soundtrack. It is a cover of an old Thin Lizzy song. This is a good rock song. This song is the second b-side off of this CD. I like this song better than their cover of Brown Eyed Girl.

#15. Heroin Girl - This is a rock great song. This was a big hit and another one of my favorite Everclear songs. This is the fastest song off of this CD. It has great music and the lyrics are really cool. I love listening to this song. It is cool.

#16. Brown Eyed Girl - This is another hit song. This is a slow rock song. But that should be obvious since it is a cover of the Van Morrison classic. This is a good cover, but I prefer The Boys Are Back In Town over this one. But this is still good.

#17. Sex With A Movie Star (The Good Witch Gone Bad) - This is the first previously unreleased song off of this CD. This is a good rock song. It is not that hard but not that soft either. I like the words and the music to it.

#18. The New Disease - This is the second previosly unreleased song off of this CD. This is a good rock song. I am not sure if this song or Sex With A Movie Star (The Good Witch Gone Bad) were hits or not. I am not sure which one I like better. They are both good songs. I am glad that they are on here.

#19. The New York Times - This song is about hoping there is love and compassion in this post 9/11 world. 9/11 plus something tragic that happened to a poor soul in Everclear's hometown of Portland Oregon inspired Art Alexakis to write this. He wrote this hoping the world would stop hating and fearing, and start loving and being compassionate. This is a slow moving rock song. A definiate inclusion on this CD. I like this good hit song too.

#20. Song From An American Movie Pt. 1 - If any song doesn't deserve to be on this CD, it is this one. This is just a soft nice intro to a previous CD of theirs. They should have taken this song off and replaced it with the song One Hit Wonder off the CD So Much For The Afterglow. That would have been better.

#21. Rock Star - This is of course a rock song. I like this song a lot. It has great music and some cool lyrics that got misinterpreted by a lot of fans of the band. This is another hit song. This is a great way to end the CD. This is another favorite Everclear song of mine. It is a song I am sure you will like too. It is a loud fast and just excellent song of theirs.

So there you have it. 21 great songs from a great band. I am glad I got this CD. I recommend it to anyone, even if you don't like the band or already have all of their other CDs. Pick it up.

It is too bad though that Everclear is just done to one member now, Art Alexakis. But he promises another Everclear album later this year. I hope he makes a great one with some great musicians. Everclear is a good band and I hope they live on and on.

Just go out and pick up this CD and enjoy it as much as I do.

Unlike some other people, I find this "Best Of" to be perfect. Mostly because I always liked them when I heard them, but not enough to buy an album, so "Ten Years Gone" was made for me. This is also packed full of 21 songs, the more popular ones being "Wonderful", "Santa Monica", "AM Radio", and "I Will Buy You A New Life". Plus the excellent "Father Of Mine", which unfortunately many relate to, and 2 good covers of "The Boys Are Back In Town" and "Brown Eyed Girl". Most of what I didn't know I like now also. This collection should easily please most, but it probably won't be "Everything To Everyone".

Everclear came along and spoke to a generation, they were not the first and hopefully wont be the last, but their music means a lot to me and this cd is perfect.

I have a couple of great Everclear songs on some mixed CD's and movie soundtracks, but I never really connected them together as being from the same group. I went on a bus trip to Hershey Park and they were having a concert, so I thought, hey why not? I've heard of them and I know I like a couple of their songs.

Boy am I happy I went. The concert was fantastic! Song after song was just better and better. Where had this band been my whole life? The group even signed autographs, shook hands and took pictures with the fans afterwards. How many people have a photo of themselves with Art in their cell phone? I was surprised at how star-struck I was, but I had never met a famous person before. I immediately bought two of their albums, including this one.

I am now obsessed with this CD and wish I could buy a copy for everyone I know. What a fantastic collection of songs from a very under-rated group. Art has the most wonderful voice, and coming from a background of loving groups like Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Oasis, and Stained, I really wish I had discovered how amazingly talented Everclear is earlier. I could have been listening to this CD for the past 4 years.

Although I truly love all songs on "Ten Years Gone", my favorite is "Wonderful" and I find myself humming or singing it all day long. Fantastic album!!! One of the best I've heard. I just hope their concern tour brings them to the Baltimore/DC area soon!!!

Best of/Greatest Hits albums are always insightful of what the band thinks are its "best". Well, Art should have had a group vote since in the liner notes both Greg and Craig do not approve of A.M. Radio. But, it is Art's band...And what is up with Brown Eyed Girl being included here? Anyways, before I go off on a rant, all of the other tunes on the disc have earned recognition for a "best of" collection. The problem with most greatest hits is that no one is happy, everyone has a favorite that has its own special menaing or groove for them. Mine was the hidden track on "Afterglow", "Hating You For Christmas", but it, in all honesty, is not a "best of" song. I purchased this disc for the two unrelesed songs, and to have the b-sides "local god" and "the boys are back in town" without having to dig through my soundtracks to burn a best of set of my own. Problem is, it will take two discs because Everclear is one great band, even if Art got a little whimpy here and there. If anyone reading this is new to Everclear, the disc is definitely a good introduction to one hell of a band.

With "Best Of" collections being created for seemingly every band nowadays cashing in for a quick buck, "Best Of Compilations" have been known to ommit many of a band's better songs without considering the fan, to make a quick buck. Everclear's "Ten Years Gone - The Best Of Everclear" is much different.

21 songs spanning 11 years of Everclear's career are included here including 1 completely unreleased song, "Sex With A Movie Star" (Cars/Cheap Trick influenced song) and "The/Your New Disease" which can be found on the Japanese version of Slow Motion Daydream. Also, 2 songs found on compilations can be found here including the very catchy "Local God" from the Romeo & Juliet Soundtrack, and "The Boys Are Back In Town from (actually a different version and clearer version than)the "Detroit Rock City soundtrack. Also the version of Father Of Mine that is found from this album is the special "Radio Mix" that could only be found elsewhere on the hard to find Father Of Mine single. Many the fan favorites are on here too; "Summerland", "Strawberry", "Learning How To Smile", and "Rock Star" are included too, all remastered nicely to bring out a great sound. Don't forget all the hits like "Wonderful", "I Will Buy You A New Life", "Santa Monica", "Everything to Everyone", etc..."

The best of collection touches upon all 6 albums and definately is an excellent representation of how great and underapreciated of a band Everclear is. Many people criticize the review for not including some of their favorite songs but with the album already taking up 76 minutes, there is really not much room to include anything else. The truth is, a greatest hits does and should not contain all of a band's hits, it is to interest a casual fan into buying a band's albums. There is no point in including all the songs from Sparkle & Fade, and So Much For The Afterglow because you leave out the rest of the Everclear repitoire. Obviously with a huge list of great songs, some will unfortunately be absent from the list. If you want to hear those songs, then by all means by the other albums.

Art Alexakis (or Capitol Records), whoever put this record together, did a superb job, and this album should find a spot in your heart for both casual and hardcore fans alike.

TEN YEARS GONE is the solid best of that Everclear's decade of distinctive music warrants. Featuring all of the big hits casual radio listeners associate with this band, TEN YEARS GONE also contains standout album cuts, soundtrack work, as well as a couple of unreleased numbers from the SLOW MOTION DAYDREAM sessions. One of these, the witty and exuberant "Sex With A Movie Star (The Good Witch Gone Bad)," could be a huge hit (though I guess it matters little because Everclear as we know them are rumored to be no longer) and gives one hope for the future of Art Alexakis' muse, which seemed to have completely departed him on Everclear's lackluster final two releases (this set wisely features only two tracks each from those twin aural stinkbombs). The collection's only drawbacks are its omissions ("Loser Makes Good," "Heartspark Dollarsign," "White Men In Black Suits," "Thrift Store Chair," and "The Swing," to name just a few MIA favorites - it is at times like these when one becomes painfully aware of the severe limitations of the 80-minute disc) and the lack of cohesion that results from its non-chronological order. On the plus side, Art's expressive and gracious liner notes lend a genuine human touch to a format (the greatest hits package) that seems to exist only to make record companies money around Christmas. "I will be hating you for Christmas..."

Great CD lots of songs I like that I never knew Everclear did. I like it better each time I listen to it.

Its great to have all my favorite Everclear songs on one disc! I loved reading Art's notes for each song, what they are about to him and what inspired him to write them. Art did a great job putting this cd together, and I can't wait for the next release with the new band members. As long as Art is still writing and singing, I know it will be GREAT!