Daft

Art of Noise | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 4, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ztt
• ASIN: B000AMU0U8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,273 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Love

2. A Time for Fear (Who's Afraid)

3. Beat Box (Diversion One)

4. The Army Now

5. Donna

6. Memento

7. How to Kill

8. Realisation

9. Who's Afraid (Of the Art of Noise)

10. Moments in Love

11. Bright Noise

12. Flesh in Armour

13. Comes and Goes

14. Snapshot

15. Close (To the Edit)

16. (Three Fingers Of) Love

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A handful of the most pretentious artists in post-punk England also happened to be among the most talented. Keyboardist Ann Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and his ZTT cohort Paul Morley (who made tea and thought up overblown song titles) were clearly onto something with influential sequencer and car-ignition-driven cut-ups like "Beat Box (Diversion One)" and "Close (to the Edit)." This collection of early Art of Noise material evokes a period when pop artists were crass enough to exploit their own hype and naive enough to believe they could still create art in the process. And, sometimes, they did. --Bill Forman

Product Description

Remixed into 5.1 surround sound, this collection shows the Art Of Noise at their dynamic and inspirational best. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real Greatest Hits, May 2, 2000

By 

A. Griffiths "Adrian" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daft (Audio CD)

There has never been another group like the Art of Noise, and all their best work is on this CD. It includes the whole first album, with the original long versions of "Close To The Edit" and "Beatbox", as well as the rare EP "Into Battle", plus the lush remixes of "Moments In Love" that were originally released as a 12" single. Sadly, the group rapidly went into artistic stagnation from the second album onwards (covering "Peter Gunn" was never going to rock the world), as they merely repeated their unique sound to less effect every time. Even worse were the techno makeovers of their music in the 90's, which bore no relation to the original style. Their remarkable and innovative genius is completely showcased in this must-have package.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ACHTUNG! This is probably what most of you are looking for., January 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Daft (Audio CD)

I can't say that I am a huge AoN fan, but I bought this CD for a few of the tracks on it which I have heard and like. They're all on it and are the versions I was looking for, hence the five stars. In particular, this alblum has three versions of "Moments In Love", including the *very popular* 7" version ("Love", track No. 1) that a lot of people have heard on the radio (yes, the one that has gotten a *lot* of radio airplay, not the other versions which some find disappointing). For those who are solely interested in this version of this song, the CD is worth it. For others who like different AoN tracks (myself included), this CD is also for you. Too bad the Maxx Headroom version of "Paranoimia" isn't on this CD as it is one of my personal favorites. Otherwise, I found this to be a great buy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Be Afraid Of The Art Of Noise, April 26, 2003

By 

statik "nostatik" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daft (Audio CD)

With their combination of production wizardry, experimentalism and ability to make a hummable tune out of just about anything, The Art Of Noise were as pretentious as their name suggests, but a whole lot more fun. This compilation takes in all the essential early stuff the group did on their original label ZTT - not only the whole of their first proper LP "Who's Afraid Of The Art Of Noise?" but also the pick of their debut EP "Into Battle" and a couple of (excellent) 12" mixes of the classic "Moments In Love".

The Fairlight sampler was the group's instrument of choice (indeed the Art Of Noise were one of the first groups to bring the sampler to public attention) and their use of "found sounds" is ingenious and often surprisingly danceable, particularly on the breakout hits "Close To The Edit" and "Moments In Love". The fact that the latter track has appeared on a million "moods"-type compilation albums is testament to its sheer loveliness, but it is all too easy to forget what a brilliantly-constructed piece of music, and of art, it really is. Hearing it alongside a selection of The Art Of Noise's other work gives a whole new perspective on it, and reminds you that there is an underlying sinister-ness to it, all clanking prison chains and insistent "now! now! now!" hectoring.

This combination of beauty and cruelty is a common Art Of Noise trick, employed to good effect on tracks like the atmospheric "Realisation" and military-themed "In The Army Now" and "A Time For Fear". Even their catchiest moment, "Close To The Edit", misquotes poet Robert Browning's "Home Thoughts From Abroad" in a distinctly unsettling way.

But lest anyone should think the Art Of Noise were all about darkness, it should be pointed out that there's a lot of light here too - the joyful "Snapshot" (present in extended form) and the wonderful, endlessly inventive "Beatbox Diversion One" will put a smile on anyone's face and a tapping in anyone's feet.

On the down side, this material is nearly 20 years old now, and it shows. The experimental pop noise of yesteryear cannot be expected to still sound state-of-the-Art two decades on. Even so, it's hard not to marvel at the imagination that went into this music. It may sound a little dated in the 21st century, but the beats still work, and when you hear "Daft" you know that what you're getting is the true, original article.