Customer Reviews

Big Innings: Best of

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although '80's shows will often include "Your Love" as a staple of their playlist, they miss most of the entire Outfield catalogue. This compilation represents a band that was immensely talented. It showcases a pop sensibility that is not found in today's music. The Outfield has an unmistakable sound that will have you playing air instruments in the house or in the car.

1985 was a pivotal year for the Outfield. This song came on the radio "You Got Me All Screwed Up". It was actually called "Say It Isn't So". These rich harmonies, this amplified drumming and this twangy guitar sound that make the Rembrants seem like finger painters. This stuff had all the pop hooks and musical chops that epitomized the '80's. They followed with "Josie's on a Vacation far away..." ("Your Love"), "All The Love" and "Every Time You Cry". Lead singer John Spinks had a Sting meets Brian Adams quality that drove a song a long...well, like a line drive!

This is a compilation filled with lost greatness...
"For You" is a tune from 1990 that is not played anymore. Dittos in "Winning It All" which is sometimes heard at the stadium. My favorite lost classic is "My Paradise" from the Voices of Babylon album. This album was more experimental, and the record company chose poorly, as they went with the more moody title track as their first single. "Paradise" could be the band's best song, and is thankfully chosen to be song 12 in this collection. "Since You've Been Gone" is the lead single from the "Bangin'" album. It cooks.

Some of the lesser known stuff makes for nice filler. "The Night Ain't Over", "Somewhere In America" and the demo version of "Alone With You" are all testaments to this band's nonchalant pop song styling. "Closer To Me" is a guitar driven, last gasp by a band that could have played the field so much longer if radio hadn't gone so sour.

As a former Top 40 jock who followed this band onto the playing field, I've yet to hear an act with this much pop power and one that did so much damage in such a short period of time. And they did it completely steroid free!

Probably a lot of people would agree with me when I say that many of my favorite Outfield songs aren't on this album. Near all of the Outfield's work is incredible, and to make a greatest hits album just doesn't work that well. For the casual Outfield fan, the mainstream stuff is on here (the three songs which actually achieved airplay, anyways), but the album lacks a lot of my old favorites. I honestly only bought this album for the three unreleased tracks, all of which are awesome. If you own all the Outfield's albums and are thinking of buying this for the same reason, do it, it's well worth it, just for those three songs. The Outfield are my favorite band of all time, and it still is amazing to me that nobody knows anything beyond "Your Love". With the exception of Diamond Days, I have always enjoyed each and every Outfield album, so if you want the best of the Outfield, you're probably going to have to buy all their albums, and make your own CD. There's just too many great songs, and this album only scratches the surface of one of the best and most underrated bands of all time.

"Big Innings" is a strong compilation of hits by the Outfield and one of my personal favorites.

"Voices Of Babylon", the ethereal leadoff track, is the best with it's chilling warning to today's society ("By the time our number's up, we could be gone.") "For You", the next track, personally brings back very fond memories of 1990-91. Its heartfelt lyrics("You can have it any way you want it")is a very sincere plea from a lonely, repentant lover. Most of the rest of the songs, especially "Everytime You Cry," "Your Love," "Alone With You" and "Through The Years" are also very strong. Unfortunately, the band often fell back on formulaic beats and lyrics which makes many other songs sound the same.

I agree with many other reviewers -- this band should've been much bigger than it's five Top 40 hits (and THOSE should've been much bigger too!). I'm also sorry to see that this band is no longer together. But their career wasn't bad at all for some British dudes with an all-American name and sound.

Bottom line -- buy it! It's definitely worth the money.

What can I say, I discovered 'The Outfield' whilst playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on PS2 and have never looked back. I was like, "What is that song that starts 'Josie's on a va-cation far away .....' it sounds awesome?". Anyway I found out it was by these guys and immediatly bought "Big Innings" having never heard any other 'Outfield' songs. (That song was called "Your Love" by the way.) When I played the album for the first time I was blown away. With fantastic chimming 80's sounding guitars, great vocal harmonies, which I am a fan of e.g. 'The Byrds', 'CSN', 'The Beach Boys', 'The Hollies' etc., and good song writing, this album was like a huge, undiscovered!, missing chunk out of my album collection. I cannot understand why these guys are not more well known. I like a lot of music and a lot of musical styles and 'The Outfield' have just the right combination of sounds to be awesome. Standout tracks include: "Your Love", "My Paradise", "The Night Ain't Over", "All The Love" and "Say It Isn't So". There are two songs previously unreleased, "It Should Have Been Me" and "Through The Years", which are also great. The only songs I don't particulary like are "Somewhere In America '89" (The original version on "Bangin'" is better) and "One Hot Country" which appears on a soundtrack album somewhere. I've since bought all seven studio albums, the latest one titled "Any Time Now" having been released in 2004, is only available (I believe) through the band's official website. To summarise, great album, greater band. In fact I would now class them as my favourite band. Listen to the samples and enjoy. (By the way the studio albums are: "Play Deep", "Bangin'", "Voices Of Babylon", "Diamond Days", "Rockeye", "Extra Innings" and "Any Time Now".)

The Outfield was and will always be in my mind for being one of the best rock bands of the 80's. However, this CD disappointed me a bit, and I have mixed feelings about it.

1. I dislike it because they replaced "Alone with you" with a pretty lame acoustic version. The leads singer's voice on the original is amazing. It's on the "Bangin" album.

2. I like it mainly because of "Through the Years" which epitomizes what every relationship goes through and can touch even the hardest of hearts. (Probably my favorite song on the CD)

Overall, if you're an Outfield fan, I suggest you buy it.

I got this in 1998. One of those "Oh yeah!" things. Before getting it I only had "Play Deep" and "Diamond Days" in my collection. My "Voices of Babylon" was long gone, loaned out years ago and not returned, and I had missed "Bangin'" and never saw "Rockeye." This is a great compilation with many great tracks re-mastered too (something that has yet to be done to the original albums!)and a few extras. Great album!

I first heard of this cool rock band back in 1990 when the song "For You" was played on the radio. Before then, I had only heard "Your Love" sometime in the '80's, and I also know "Closer To Me" from 1993. Now, my new favorites besides these three are "It Should Have Been Me", "Say It Isn't So", and "Winning It All", with the first track "Voices Of Babylon" being my absolute favorite. When I hear this CD, I usually play that one two or three times in a row. Anyway, this album is a great collection from the Outfield, and I do agree with an earlier reviewer who wondered just why this band never got the rightful recognition that they deserved. So, buy it soon, it'll grow on you in time!

When a greatest hits compilation is released, the songs are normally the band's biggest commercial releases, fan favorites, and more than likely, favorites of the band itself. This one is no different. But when there are perhaps only two songs by a group that most of the general public will recognize, that means there will be a healthy dose of the fan and band favorites. The Outfield is one of the more underrated, underappreciated bands to come from the 1980s. Their tight, harmonious melodies are present on every album they've released, and the best of the best are found on "Big Innings". There are two songs on here that hadn't been released previously, but they would have been at home on any Outfield album prior to this release. There are also two songs that are done in different styles, and they're just as good as the originals. It's hard to justify a greatest hits when it means you'll have to exclude so many other songs that are worthy of the honor. But if you are looking for a solid CD full of music that could have come from nowhere but the 1980s, look no further.

The Outfield is one of those groups that you've probably never heard of but you actually know [and like] at least a couple of their songs when you hear them. These guys are not 'one-hit' wonders, there are several very good songs on this CD. And the odd thing is that I actually like some of the other songs better than their radio hits.

For me, these are the type songs that you find yourself humming several days after you listen to them. Not hymns, not anthems, just good solid music.

So give them a chance, buy this CD and I think that you might even remember their name after you listen to their songs.

When I first heard these guys back in the eighties I was surprised to find out they're from Great Britian. To me they have an American sound to them. This CD is a great collection of some of their more popular tunes. I gave this CD a rating of four stars because they left off a song that I really think is very cool and should have been included on this disc: "Reach Out".