Customer Reviews

Collection

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Made in UK in 2003, Serial# BP-356-CD, Playing Time 67:52

This CD collect tracks from GD's first 4 "solo" albums, and also includes 4 tracks from various outside projects:

"Just As Long" is taken from the Wetton/Downes collaboration released in 2001 on Stallion records, simply entitled "John Wetton & Geoff Downes;

"Don't Walk Away" is from the CD entitled "The Work Tapes", a collection of unfinished tracks credited to Glenn Hughes & Geoff Downes;

"Downes Solo" is credited as coming from the ASIA album entitled "Live Acoustic" recorded in 1997; but it's NOT; it is in fact taken from the ASIA CD entitled "Live At The Town & Country Club", recorded in 1992 during the "Aqua" tour.

"The Journey Begins" is from ASIA's "Rare" album, released on the Resurgence label.

The CD closes with 2 previously unreleased tracks, "You Can Fly From Here", which sounds unfinished, and an instrumental version of "Video Killed The Radio Star" which appeared on a demonstration disc from the KORG keyboards company (and also featured other great keyboardists!) I can't say it's significantly different to make it interesting...

Strangely enough, the back of the CD tray lists the serial number as BP401CD, while the little "flaps" visible from either side of the spine of the jewel case have BP356CD printed on them (it's the same piece of paper, for crying out loud!)

There are no tracks from the "Shadows & Reflections" album since this "best of" was compiled (in a hurry?) before its release.

Each of the first 4 albums have a quite different personnality:

"The Light Program" was made of 4 long pieces of music, and is represented here by "East West", the 14-minute opener of this "Collection" CD.

"Vox Humana", his most eclectic release, ranging in style from "Ave Maria" to the re-make of "Video Killed The Radio Star", is represented through 4 tracks...

"Evolution", his album entirely made up of "covers" of mostly very-well known and commercially successful songs (for the original artists!), is showcased here by its softer tracks.

"World Service", a CD made up of 30 short tracks (a more appropriate word would be "sound Paintings"), has 5 excerpts included here.

Quite frankly, I think it makes for a strange "collage" of material because of the diversity of genres; perhaps that's also what makes its charm.

GD is an interesting performer, and this CD is a good way to be introduced to his solo career; but if you already have his albums, the 2 unreleased tracks don't justify this purchase.

Having had the great pleasure of seeing Geoff Downes quasi-solo in a small venue, I looked forward to the release of THE COLLECTION. Overall there are some great tunes on this CD. His original compositions are excellent. His reworking of Video Killed the Radio Star is an emotional grabber. Geoff Downes does justice to the cover tunes on the CD, most notably Nights In White Satin. This CD would have rated 5 stars, but I couldn't get into the arrangement of one of my all time favorites, A Whiter Shade of Pale. The organ parts were great, but the piano solo on AWSOP was lacking. This CD is a good introduction to one of Rock's premier keyboardists, Geoff Downes. I can recommend it and would also suggest you check out Vox Humana, also available on CD.