Customer Reviews

Duchess of Coolsville: An Anthology

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A unique artist of the highest caliber, Rickie Lee has been making me smile and cry and dance and be glad to be alive for a long, long time. (You'll get a feel for how long listening to this essential collection.) From her eponomyous first record to the "new" works on this set, Rickie has never done anything without putting everything she has into the delivery of every single song. Her voice is a pleasure, though an acquired taste to be sure. Nevertheless, her influence on today's roster of performers is immeasurable. That "Juke Box Fury" is missing is a shame, but to have Rickie's "Easter Parade" with the fabulous Blue Nile is another reason to be grateful that this lady still cares to perform. As someone stated, she is without peer as a live performer and you get a taste of that here. Check her out the next time she is appearing anywhere near you. You will fall in love, I promise.

Technically, you could buy RLJ's first and second albums and you'd have the best of Rickie Lee Jones. Rickie Lee never again equalled the orchestrated hipster pop of the eponymously titled Rickie Lee Jones and her sophomore effort Pirates. There were flashes of such energy and brilliance elsewhere, but no other album was a sustained success from start to finish.

It was probably a wise business decision for Rhino records to attempt this collection instead of simply remastering those first two masterpiece albums. I don't consider it an artistic triumph, however.

On the plus side, Rhino has equalized or otherwise processed the original material so carefully that songs from different recording venues using different techniques of recording (digital and analog) sound now sound organically whole and integrated with each other. Mainly this involved cutting down a lot of the high frequency content of the originals, rendering Rickie Lee's voice less piercing, but also de-emphasizing the percussion and the brilliant overtones of the guitars. That's not an unreservedly good thing, but it works in the context of making an anthology album.

The alphabetical organization of the tracks does not really work, either. Normally such collections are laid out chronologically, and that probably would have been a better choice here, except that it would have made the falloff in the quality of RLJ's recordings more evident.

The bonus tracks, demos, and miscellaneous on disc three are interesting for the RLJ fan. I don't see them as having lasting replay value.

Listening to this set has lowered Rickie Lee Jones' art in my estimation. I already own most of her records in one format or another. But if this is supposed to RLJ's best, then one must admit that the best of albums like Magazine and Ghostyhead are a bit overrated. Rhino should just get on with remastering her first and second albums.

Hi. The people who review reviews on the British site seem not to have noticed a very wise change in amazon's guidelines which now allows for comments on the sound quality of discs. Maybe I'll have more luck here in the States....

Because the remastering standard of this Anthology is absolutely superb. Hats off to Dan Hersch at Digiprep and his latest equipment. Superb sound. I can hear tom-toms reverberating, bass strings resonating, it's just delicious, Dan. Thanks to you and Rhino for this invaluable update of Rickie Lee Jones music.

The music! Well, she, RLJ, is a unique, gifted, and truly American artist and her eccentricities are well represented here. Listeners who seek consistency of style and tempo might get frustrated by the alphabetical sequencing on discs 1 and 2, but if you are prepared to go with the flow then relax and let this terrific selection wash over you. Particularly if you only know a few of her albums, in which case surprises will pop out at you all over the place. For me, new friends included the old Sinatra number "Cycles" and the haunting "Sailor Song", blending in successfully with absolute classics like "Flying Cowboys" (a massive favourite), "It Must Be Love", "Living It Up", and of course "Chuck E's In Love".

The third disc is far better than most of these "odds and sods" appendages, with wonderful demos of "Easy Money" (developed thereafter by Lowell George) and "Satellites" for example, and rarities like Donovan's song of romantic determination "Sunshine Superman" (performed in her most cheerful uptempo style, from the movie 'Party Of Five') and "Easter Parade" with equally unusual Scottish band Blue Nile (who are well worth separate investigation, by the way). Everyone will enjoy different items here.

But the full proof of RLJ's idiosyncratic brilliance is covered ahead of this on the first two discs. Let me state the obvious - she has a fantastic voice. Soak it up, and choose your own favourites. Have fun making your own single-disc collection for the car! (Now - Warner/Rhino - do the decent thing and remaster all the original albums. Soon. Call Dan!).

Very strange that some of RLJ's best songs are not on this anthology. One of the coolest songs ever "Danny's All-Star Joint" is missing(!?), as is Easy Money (only a demo is found here) and Ghetto of My Mind is also not included(!?). Jeez Louise!! Why leave out the best??

Remastering is pristine. Rhino outclassed themselves!!! Perfect balance between expected favorites, some demos which are interesting, some super live tracks and duets. I love the alphabetic sequencing vs the traditional chronological type. My question is, when will we get RLJ and Pirates in a Deluxe and/or remastered release? Highly recommended.

This is an awesome collection of Rickie Lee Jones' work. Of course there are some glaring omissions as other reviewers have pointed out. Still, I would have given this collection a full 5 stars if it had included the full version of "The Horses." Did anybody else notice that the version included on this anthology has been shortened? They have completely taken out the part of the song where Rickie sings "When I Was Young, I was a Wild, Wild One." It's true that she sings this line in the song "Flying Cowboys" as well and the full version of that song is included here. But, I always found it incredibly charming and cool that she sang the same line in "The Horses" and it is a shame that it has been edited out for this release. So, we still have to go back to our unremastered "Flying Cowboys" CD to hear "The Horses" as it was originally recorded.

A wonderful compilation.What an amazing talent!All the best and then some are here,with a few personal favorites missing:"Deep Space"The Real End""Lucky Guy".Isn't that what makes an artist great?.Every fan will probably have their own list of songs they love that were left off.The best cd I've purchased all year.Anyone know why there are no tracks from "Live at Red Rocks" or "Naked Songs"? These two aren't even mentioned in the discography.

I expect I'm only repeating what other people have already written, but this collection is lovely. The remastering process has made a stunning improvement to the sound quality (which was already good!), and the "goodies" on the third disc are a welcome addition to the catalogue ("Easter Parade" with Blue Nile is a gem!!). Rickie Lee Jones is a remarkable musician, a fantastic singer, a great arranger, and a genius with words. A very special lady indeed. I often wonder why she isn't as popular as the quality of her work really demands. I suppose I don't understand the commercial music market.
Rickie Lee Jones Rules, O.K.!

I own a lot of Rickie Lee Jones. I love her work. I disagree with the reviewer who thought the alphabetical order of her songs was pointless. Since so many of her albums were--wonderfully--"set pieces," it's been great to hear familiar songs in unfamiliar contexts. It's as if I'm hearing some of these songs for the first time.

Her music had a huge influence on a lot of the breathy girl singers since, who've served up her phrasing but in a watered down fashion. But she's really important, like Louis Armstrong, in terms of innovating, changing our conception of what a voice can do. Not to mention she wrote all this music too.

Take one listen to the demo version of Atlas' Marker and you'll know the intensity of RLJ, both live and in person. That's all you'll need. Of course, much of her other work is extraordinary, and live she's unparalleled. But this version of Atlas' Marker is thrilling and spine-tingling - absolutely.

Thanks for an amazing career.