Customer Reviews

Best of House Volume 2: Progressive House

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

 

 

I found out about house music and I really liked it. I told one of my friends, and he got me Vol 1. I liked it, so I got this one and Vol 3. I like this one the best. Rapture is a good song, but not a good first track, I think it should have been one of the last ones since it is so long. Darude's Feel The Beat is on here, good song but I don't like it as much as Sandstorm. This CD has The Drill and Who Am I which I don't recognize the artists at all but I really like them. That song Omnibus- is that supposed to be a rip-off of Sandstorm or something? It better not be. I don't understand why people don't like Phatt Bass... The only thing I don't like about it is the pauses, but besides that it has a really great beat and all. What's to complain about? The only two songs I don't like on here were Void and The Launch- I have better versions of The Launch, without that annoying voice, and Void too long (so are Rapture and The Revolution, but I like those songs). My favorite is Blood is Pumpin', it is my favorite song ever. I've read most of the reviews for the Best of House CD's, and I don't really understand why most of them are bad...

First and foremost, if you're a hardcore house fan, if you've been on the scene for awhile, or if you consider yourself -- in any way -- particular (or picky) when it comes to this music (let's say, you have a "refined palatte"), then this disc is not for you. Not by any means. This is a compilation of old-school house music, and when you mix the words "old-school" with "house music," most aficianados will hear the phrase "played to death." Fair enough.

For the rest of you who are just getting into house, or who are interested in starting, this might be a good place. Unlike the first disc of this series (abysmally bad; stay away from it), this album mixes a bit of everything. Be forwarned, not all of these tracks are strictly "progressive," nor are they all "trance," or "raver," or "techno," or even "house." But these are fine distinctions that you'll only hear bandied about between clubbers who are so busy defining the music that they don't have time to enjoy it.

If what you want is an introduction to the rhythms and structures that house music first grew out of, this mix isn't bad at all. I will say that, if you just sit down and listen to this record from beginning to end, you'll probably start noticing some overt similarities between the songs, but, on the other hand, this CD wasn't made to be listened to by someone who is sitting down. Unless that person is driving 80 mph through the mountains.

For the most part, these songs achieve their goal. You have Darude being Darude in "Feel the Beat." IIO pulls off sublimely liquid moves in the remix of "Rapture" (although the song is about three minutes too long). In "Pitchin'," Hi-Gate doesn't throw any fancy curves, but it is one heck of a fast ball. Finally, "Who Am I" and "Omnibus" both remain guilty pleasures of mine (incredibly, incredibly guilty), in spite of the fact that the former borders on head-banging techno and the latter is about as derivative as a house song gets (and that's pretty damn derivative).

Watch out, though. It's pretty hard to find any house CD that doesn't occasionally slip on its own formula. The castrated vocals on "Keep Control" suck the life out of the song. I can't stand it when any song, like "Phatt Bass," keeps demanding that I "listen to the phatt bass that will send the blood coursing through your veins." (If you have to tell your audience to listen, you're doing something wrong.) And songs like "Dooms Night (Revisited)" and "Palladio" seem horribly out of place.

Unlike Volume 1 of this series (which plays like it was mixed by someone with a bad concept of "catchy" and a tendency to eat too much sugar), this volume has something going for it: a handful of truly invigorating songs. If you really want to jump into house music, and are hoping to start from the ground up, consider this album the doors into the lobby.

Those of you who are more seasoned? Well, this might just be a bookmark to remember in your own musical evolution. After all, this may not be The Best of House, like the label says, but some of it is still a heckuva lot of fun.

I really enjoy listening to this one.

Songs I really liked: *Hi-Gate-Pitchin' and *Derb- Derb both because of the progression, *Sono-Keep Control because it's an all-around good song with good vocals, *Massiv-Who Am I because of the good "old school rave" feel it gives me when I listen, *Laut Sprecher-Omnibus even though it reminds me a little too much of Darude's Sandstorm, I love how it drops everything in the middle of the song then slowly progresses back up to the original beat. Gives me MAJOR goosies! Everything else on this cd was good, classic stuff, too.

The only song that I can't stand hearing is Phat Bass. There's not even any bass in the song! You think it's going to build up to this awesome bassline, but all you get is some cheesy synth notes. It's the cheesiest song I've ever heard because of that.

In addition to listening to music for pleasure, I dance for exercise, and this CD is definitely worth the price. Some of the songs are familiar (I was very disconcerted to hear the De Beers Diamond theme!), and some of them have annoyingly long pauses in the middle or vocal interludes, but the overall album is terrific to dance to, and fun to listen to. I'm very glad to have bought it.

another good cd, along with volume one, I think I like volume one a little better, but what do I know? I have heard some of these songs at the club that I go to, and some I would like to hear there. I'd say give this cd a chance.....

Right, let's discuss false advertising. There's just two progressive cuts here, the original (lesser) version of Tom Stephan's "The Revolution," and Iio's smash "Rapture," which admittedly still brings goose bumps a year later, thanks to the sexy, throbbing remix courtesy of Creamer & Stephane K that best suits Ali's husky voice.

The rest are unmixed radio edits of hi-energy/drum roll/breakdown/pompous synth trance, all variations of the Darude "Sandstorm" theme, including his own on "Feel the Beat." Worst offenders "Phatt Base" (which has none) and "Who Am I" (answer: a nobody) and "Palladio" (referencing the strings melody from that diamond jeweler commercial) are an embarrassment to music.

This disc can only contribute to dance by being melted down for disco ball parts.

Unmixed, unfiltered, unrefined. This CD is good for all those of you that would get into this music if only it was on MTV. So, for all you popularity-seeking folk out there...buy up! Better yet, leech money off your parents and have THEM buy it! The rest of us (the people that actually listen to trance because we LIKE it) are busy saving up for Exposure 4, or Airdrawndagger.

They seemed to have put those old...annoying songs on this albulm and called it house. I don't think so. Although there are a couple tunes i consider house and that are actually good such as Sono's tune "keep control." As for the rest the music on this disc, what else can I say, PLAYED OUT.

I made my friend Tyler buy this CD for me on my birthday, let me tell you, COMPLETELY worth the money. The songs as you progress through the CD change into one another very smoothly, almost as it were one big house song together. Perfect for raving or just driving around town, with the bass completely up of course!