Customer Reviews

Crash Boom Bang

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I did not like the first song on this CD, it simply did not grab me. Okay, that's out of the way.

I agree with the reviewer below, the Higher Order of Magnitude comments. The rest of the songs on this CD are all compositions of extraordinarily high quality. While C!B!B! is lightly attractive as pleasant back-ground ear candy in ordinary social circumstances, closer examination of the lyrics and deeper listening to the music reveal fantastic contemporary poetry and magnificent accompanying music.

This man Per Gessle is a living muse. The simplicity-yet-depth of his verbal expression -- for example, "been holding on too long - to long," which is NOT mere repetition -- is unbelievably thoughtful and subtle. That particular song, in fact, "What's She Like," conveys the impression of intense pain and regret. My first thought was that a woman with remarkable powers of expression had composed it, casting into words her feelings after being rejected by a lover... and I was startled to see that Gessle wrote that song (and then I saw that he wrote the words/music for all the others too).

Sit down with this CD, and read the words while playing the songs, and you will be captivated. Ask yourself what process brought these compositionss into being -- consider what sort of thinking creates art like this. You will realize you cannot do it yourself, you will understand that this individual has a tremendous gift.

I am not generally familiar with Roxette, much less am I friends with the band members (which would prompt artificial promotional flattery). NO, my appraisal of this work is completely honest -- I think "Crash! Boom! Bang!" constitutes an absolutely superlative set of songs, and I vigorously recommend it to anyone who appreciates true poetic/musical art. Per Gessle's composition talent is of the highest quality -- and Marie's fantastic vocals definitely bring it all to life.

This music is the best. Enjoy.

I've been a fan of Roxette for several years now, and this is, without doubt, one of their best works. Let's see a song-by-song description of it:

1. Harleys & Indians: a kinda weak song to start the album, but it's funny, it might grow on you quite well. 6/10
2. Crash! Boom! Bang!: probly my absolute fav Roxtune of all time. Marie's voice is so full of emotions, the instrumentation is perfect, the songwriting is excellent. An all-time classic for me. 10/10
3. Fireworks: a very catchy upbeat song, with lots of fun in the lyrics and great background vocals. I think it isn't weak to be a single, it's always been doing fine by me. 9/10
4. Run to You: a very romantic typical Roxette-ish song with strings arrangement and, again, Marie's incredible singing (which is true throughout the album). 8/10
5. Sleeping in My Car: perhaps the heaviest rocker in Roxette history, constantly played on the radios. It blows you away, so powerful and rocking. Easy 10/10.

6. Vulnerable: nice song, but way too sappy for me. The strings sound good, though, and the whistling at the end is lovely. 6/10
7. First Girl on the Moon: very enjoyable little tune, Per and Marie's voice match perfectly, the harmonica adds a good folky feeling to it. 9/10
8. Place Your Love: one of my favs on this album, a wonderful acoustic piece with winds arrangement. 10/10
9. I Love the Sound of Crashing Guitars: good rocker tune, good guitars (well, the title speaks for itself) 8/10
10. What's She Like?: it's a kinda upbeat, but still painful and sad song. 7/10
11. Do You Wanna Go the Whole Way?: good upbeat song with incredibly catch strings, nice acoustic interlude by Per. 9/10
12. Lies: a very fun song with some good ironic lyrics. 7/10
13. I'm Sorry: a typically '90s sounding ballad. It gets a lot of praise from other Roxfans, with my agreement. Roxette also recorded it on the album of their best ballads sung in Spanish (just to show how really great this song is). 9/10
14. Love Is All (Shine Your Light on Me): a soaring hymn to love, with some experimental features not so often used in popular music. Probly their longest song. 8/10
15. Go to Sleep: a good way to finish this great work of up to par pop-rock music. Beautiful ballad, can be taken as a lullaby as well. 9/10

Some might be tempted to write Roxette off as a sugary guilty pleasure. But considering some of the dreck that the pop music landscape has seen over the past decade or so, it is sometimes difficult to remember just how good pop music can be when the songwriting, production, and performances all click.

This album was always overlooked by critics, but it has more than its share of great moments. The remastered edition sounds great; their earlier recordings might have been a little catchier (like "Joyride"), but this album stands the test of time. "Sleeping in My Car" is one of Roxette's best songs. "Run to You" is so well-written and sung so beautifully by Fredrickson that it tops anything Chrissy Hynde ever turned out. "Lies" is another vintage track. The ballads are not as sweeping as past Roxette hits (with the exception of the title track), but the folksy "First Girl on the Moon" and the dreamy "See Me" more than make up for that.

There are two or three duds on this album, namely the ballad "Vulnerable" and the grating track "I Love the Sound of Crashing Guitars." But with this album, you get 18 songs, and about 15 of them are high quality stuff. You can basically put this disc on and let it play through, and if you love solid pop music, it will be an hour of your life well spent. This is also worth every penny of it's price.

This is a great album, simply terrific. The songs are catchy without being trite, there are some fine serious pieces here, and plenty of edgy rock to keep your blood flowing.

I know very, very little about Roxette... which I initally thought was the female vocalist's name (a mistake everyone makes, probably). The impression I get from Roxette's music is that this pair is similar to a thousand couples-bands throughout the world. The last one I saw live was a young husband/wife team performing in a resort lobby during happy hour; the one before that in a Ramada Inn dining room, during supper. They were backed by a synthesizer providing drumbeat and various instruments, while the vocalists both played guitars and/or keyboards, creating the effect of a band with several musicians. They sang lovely songs and rock songs, anything the customers wanted to hear -- some old stuff, and some original stuff. Both of the couple-groups I heard sounded almost the same. Much of their stuff was, in the final analysis, background music.

Roxette, though, broke away from that, and in a HUGE way. They are that Ramada Inn couple in many ways, but they found the key to vaulting upward to a much higher order of magnitude, and their music is original, striking and fantastic.

I received "Crash! Boom! Bang!" from a good friend, and I will always be extremely grateful to her for introducing me to Roxette. This one is definitely a keeper.

I asked for this on a birthday wish list shortly after I got my first CD player. This is definitely one of their best CDs. Especially great are the title song, "Run to You", "Love Is All" (sounds like a spiritual song, very pretty), and "Go to Sleep". Even some of the uptempo songs are good, like "Sleeping in My Car" and "Lies". On a totally off-music note, I love the giant checherboard theme of the cover!

This is one of the greatest albums that Roxette has ever produced! The sound is a little different from all their other albums, but it has the roxette quality that we all love. It's still one of my favorite CD's, and I've had it for a few years now. It has a little bit of everything and I think everyone should hear it.

This album took a while to grow on me. I bought it when I was in Germany, and after Tourism it kind of took a different turn. But after a while, like fine wine it did.
I think it has got less of that blues souly feel that Joyride has, Tourism was almost folky country, this has a more rocky, even metal feel to it, but perhaps I wouldn't go that far. It also has a nice acoustic element to it.
Harleys and Indians - is an awesome opener to the album, could have been a rocky single to make people stand up and take notice, cool lyrics, awesome harmonica. Whats best about Per.
Crash Boom Bang - is beautifully melancholic, funny that it was the title track to the album though. The video to this is awesome and really captures the song. Perhaps if they had called the album Harleys and Indians it would have sold more. But this is a great ballad nevertheless. I must say though that Roxette are too well known for theiir melancholic ballads when their Catchy Rocky songs are just as good and perhaps lyrically better.
Fireworks - This is an underrated single. Cool video on this song. Great lyrics about two girls on a road trip. Could have been an after the fact soundtrack to Thelma and Louise. A folk quirky funky rock song a bit reminiscent of Joyride.
Run To You - I guess there are too many songs called Run To You to have made this a hit. I was a bit surprised this was a single to be honest. But it does conjure up images and has a nice inbetween bit about churches and lonely roads.
Sleeping In My Car - Now this is a rocky song with a cool beat, but I have to say a bit lyrically poor and this is why I would have liked some of the other songs to be the singles. Nevertheless catchy. And it did make it to Number 11 in NZ I think or was it number 20.
Vulnerable - A great song and needed some radio play over here but never got it. A really heartfelt number and Per is great on this with the violins and everything. Nice lyrics. Should have been a hit.
The First Girl On The Moon - Now this is one of the greatest tracks on the album. Would have been a great single. And would have seen girlpower stand up and take notice. Love the dogs at the beginning and the harmonica. Great lyrics. A nice acoustic song.
Place Your Love - I really like this song. It is a bit reminsicent of Friday Im in Love by The Cure, but with Per's stamp. I like the bridge in this song and the guitar riff is neat. Another nice acoustic song.
I Love the Sound of Crashing Guitars - I thought when I first heard this it was a bit dumb but now I think it is not so bad. A tribute I guess to Pete Townshend and I like the lyric "Hey you long haired vintage Jesus.
What's She Like - Now this is a really nice song. Could have been a single. It builds up beautifully to the "I never knew..."
Marie milks the lyrics in this. Heartfelt. Mmmm. Shes at her best here.
Do You Wanna Go The Whole Way - The shaker is interesting on this song. Nice verses - not so sure about the chorus though.
Lies - Quite a rocking song - could have been a single to to make a stir. Both Per and Marie song. Great opening line. Catchy
I'm Sorry - This is a really nice song too. Lyrically nice. Nice bridge again from Per - "Time makes a stop". Remisncent of Queen of Rain a bit. Catchy.
Love is All - Now this is a great song and nice and long. An epic. I wish they did more like this where they dragged it out and milked it for all its worth. Like Meatloaf and Stairway toHeaven and Bohemian Rhapsody and November Rain. Big long 9 or 10 minuters. This is a philosophical or spiritual song too which is nice instead of just singing about broken hearts all the time.
Go To Sleep - And what a great little lullaby to end the album. Some of the most awesome lyrics in this song too. I like the line "Life's a tough principal..." and "Love's a golden ripple". Could be used for quote of the days.
All in All an awesomely arranged album in terms of song order. Maybe a bit two sided like a tape which is what I first bought it on although now I own it on CD. Brings back a lot of memories. Wish it had done better in the charts.
Adios.

While this album does not quite achieve the overall high standards of Joyride - it's never bad, but there are some songs that are so-and-so, like Harleys & Indians, Vulnerable and I Love The Sound Of Crashing Guitars - overall, this is an excellent pop album, and if you like Roxette, you will not be dissapointed. I still think Joyride and Have A Nice Day are better albums, but if you have those and are thirsty for more, don't let the poor sales of this album hold you back, because it desserved much better.

Highlights would deffinitely be the amazing title track - the best song the group ever did? - the mid-tempo pop/rock ballad of Run To You, the acoustic duo of The First Girl On The Moon and Place Your Love and the lush pop-songs What's She Like? and Go To Sleep.

The uptempo singles Sleeping In My Car and Fireworks and the ballad I'm Sorry are also among the better songs here, and while I think Love Is All (Shine Your Light On Me) perhaps takes on a bit more than it can actually bear with it's 6.41 running time, it's still a fine track, and a daring move.

Do You Wanna Go The Whole Way? and Lies have an undeniable hit quality, but is not the best works of the group, and as I said, Healeys and Indians and I Love The Sound Of Crashing Guitars was probably the closest the group got to being mediocre - without quite being it, though. Also Vulnerable might seem a tad overproduced, but still manages to go home as a fair balad.

Crash!Boom!Bang! is not quite the masterpiece of Joyride and Have A Nice Day, but it's very good, and contain a lot of excellent pop songs. Recommended to everyone who know and like the band.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10.

Crash!Boom!Bang! does sound more like an alternative rock CD, than a pop one. I'm a pretty big fan of Roxette, so that didn't bother me at all. It's still really damn catchy! Like Joyride, every single song is great on this, and there isn't any filler. They even put two acoustic songs on here, "The First Girl On The Moon," and "Place Your Love," and they are both excellent. My favorite tracks on here are "Fireworks," "Run To You," "Do You Wanna Go The Whole Way?" "Sleeping In My Car," "Lies," "Go To Sleep," "Harleys & Indians," "Vulnerable," and "Crash!Boom!Bang!"

If you like Look Sharp! and Joyride but don't have this one, you're really missing out. Crash!Boom!Bang! might not have sold as well as those two, but the sales doesn't mean that this isn't as good. I also recommend getting Have A Nice Day, too!

This album seems to fit into three categories for me. The harder rocking songs on the album- HArleys and Indians, which is a reasonable opener. Sleeping in my car, which is ok, but blatantly written to rock up the album which is mainly leaning towards a more ballad approach. 'Lies' which has a good riff and a catchy chorus and the terrible track 'I love the sound of crashing guitars'. The title is poor and the tune is completely unmelodic. The middle eight part 'the six string kick inside' sounds just like the riffs in 'do you get excited', which demonstrates to me this song was also poorly thought out and under developed.

Then there are the mid tempo pop songs. 'Fireworks' is the first of these, an enjoyable Per led verse and even catchier Marie chorus. Understandably released as a single it is quirky. Then there is 'Do you wanna go the whole way', which is so tacky in the lyrical department, I can't really like it too much. It is ok, but with the constant pattern constantly repeating it soon tires, and is a bit of filler really. The only other weakish track except crashing guitars.

The remaining 9 tracks are all ballads and are all successes. There are the orchestrated ballads. 'Crash boom bang' is a nice Marie led ballad with orchestral passages. 'Run to you' is ever so slightly generic, but I really like the acoustic guitars and the orchestral accompaniment. 'Vulnerable' is absolutely beautiful with swooning violins and a nice melody by Per. A lovely song.

Apart from the aforementioned track, the two acoustic ballads are my faves on here. 'first girl on the moon' is a gorgeous acoustic rhythm led ballad, with harmonic and nice piano work. Prob my fave from the album is 'place your love' the melodies and interwoven horn melodies in the instrumental passage here is simply heaven and the lyrics are strong. A fantastic song.

The two sad ballads are also really strong 'What's she like' is the stronger of the two:- Nice awash of keyboards and synthesiser sounds and a good middle eight. 'I'm sorry' is also lovely and has a memorable chorus.

'Love is all' is the first song that Roxette did that is anthem like and almost slightly progressive at the same time. Nice ballad parts of the song, excellent singing and the guitar solo is first class.

'Go to sleep' is a nice closer to the album. A lullaby. Pure and simple.

A fantastic album, but at 15 tracks, it could have been cut. There is no need for Per to have a quota of rock songs on an album, if the ballads are as strong as this. 'Crashing guitars' should have been a B-side, with 'do you wanna go the whole way' and the still only b-side track 'the sweet hello the sad goodbye', their best song ever, should have been included. Reprogramming track 9 as this track, and cutting out track 11, makes a 5 star album of beauty. As it is, this is a 4+