Evolution: The Hits [Original recording remastered]

Dead Or Alive | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00009VU2B
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,564 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Import only compilation for the immortal New Wave/Dance icon's (in Japan anyway). Fronted by the androgynous Pete Burns, Dead Or Alive are best remembered for the annoyingly catchy 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)' (included here) and other great dance hits, many of which were produced by the '80s greatest production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman. Includes all the old hits and updated versions of their classics, 'Lover Come Back (To Me)' (2003 Remix) and 'Turn Around & Count 2 Ten' (2003 Remix). 18 tracks. Sony. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BACK IN THE U.S.A., March 14, 2004

By 

M. DUlisse (las vegas,nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evolution: The Hits (Audio CD)

This a perfect introduction to the Dead or Alive catalogue. Everything is here, from the first hit to the Japan only releases "Hit and Run Lover" and "Isn't it a Pity". Remix of "Lover Come Back" which is very high energy. The only song that is dissappointing is the remix of "Turn Around and Count to 10". This remix ,in my opinion, is very slow compared to the original. This is definitely worth the money. If you want to shell out an extra 20 bucks the 2 disc set of "Evolution" is available as an import. It has many more hits and some extended versions.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Splurge for the import 2-CD collection AND the UK-Only DVD!!, December 28, 2005

By 

G. Mitchell "greggmitch" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evolution: The Hits (Audio CD)

If you're a true DOA fan, there is only one option: splurge for the 2-CD UK Import set of EVOLUTION, featuring ALL of the hits plus many of the hard-to-find-on-CD original remixes (alas, no OFF YER MONG remix of IN TOO DEEP, why?!) - but why stop there when you can also spring for the UK-Import-Only DVD collection of ultra-rare VIDEOS, including the amazing, stunning, and maybe even a bit disturbing 2003 remix video of their biggest hit, YOU SPIN ME ROUND, featuring Pete Burns Circa 2003 pushing the envelope for plastic-surgery-as-art?! One look and you'll wonder if his current muse is Dave LaChapelle's AMANDA LAPORE?! He used to be a gothic/pop "freak" -now he's more like a cybo-tron drag queen robot - WOW! The sad thing is, Pete Burns CAN sing, CAN write hooks, and CAN put on a great stage show persona - too bad no major label in America will ever see fit to put out some NEW music by DOA, instead of Sony endlessly re-hashing, re-mixing, and re-releasing the same ol' batch of 80s hits over and over, ad nauseum. Pete and Co. really deserve better. Check out Pete's collaboration with PSB, "JACK & JILL PARTY," for electro-cheeky proof positive that DOA could still be a chart contender. Until then, buy this CD and the DVD - but wait, you'l need to get a Cyber-Home-300 region FREE DVD player first...but I digress.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive Collection...sort of...But still worth getting, October 3, 2003

By 

Robert G. Bertucci (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Evolution: The Hits (Audio CD)

I was a big fan of DOA between Sophisticated and Nude. They not only opened me up to a whole world of "new wave" but they were also the first concert I went to as a teenager. I collected their 12" mixes and singles and such and was quite impressed with the production...the retooling of some singles (Something in my house and Hooked on love) and the 12" mixes were quite better than some at the time. Stock, Aiken and Waterman were great producers and really knew how to hone in on a sound. They were also the producers behind Bananarama...and later Rick Astley and Cathy Dennis. The first four albums were great...top notch stuff. The latest of it..is well...gay dance music and not really good. I pretty much moved on with my musical tastes in the early 90's and didn't follow DOA that much, as what I heard was either awful, over produced, dance music or a new remixed version of You Spin Me...(I think there are at least 20 mixes of that song). I mean I'd see something new and give it a listen, but was generally disappointed. So here we are about 20 years later (a very long time considering that most bands like this one from the 80's are gone) and you have to give it to Pete for keeping DOA alive all these years...though I think there'd be no stopping him.

And then we have this offering in two versions. One being this... straight forward hits comp and the other is a double import disk, which while comes in a nice package is really more of the same with different versions and few other "hits" not included on the former. Most of the singles are here..save Nukleopatra and Baby don't say goodbye (where's son of a gun?)...which are only ok, so I am not disappointed that they are not included (they are on the import). I am very happy that this collection includes the Sophisticated tunes as this would not be definitive without them. The singles, for the most part are the versions that got released and not the album versions. I was also happy with this as well. What I wasn't pleased with was that some of my favorites got remixed beyond recognition and fit in more with the newer material, which I am not crazy about. So, the versions of Lover Come Back to Me and Turn Around and Count to Ten are really lame. Oh and there is another remix of You spin me...which obviously this world needs...right?

I know this comes off as a semi bad review...but it's not. If you like DOA and you like their songs, but don't have their albums (all of mine are on cassette or vinyl)...or don't have SOBB...get this. It is worth having. I was thinking that the songs in chronological order would have been better, but I think then I wouldn't be listening to half of it. Should you get this one or the import? If you are a big fan and still follow them, get the import. If you are like me and like the early stuff...you need to decide what songs you really like and pick the version that doesn't have the 2003 remix of it (I would have been disappointed with the 2003 mix of Something in my House...absolutely). I think a better collection would be singles on one disk (no remixes) and on the second disk include the original mixes (which were great..pretty much all of them) and retooled versions. I also think that the packaging (on this version) is so-so. Just a bunch of recent pics of Pete looking freaky like he always has...though I think he's gone a bit far. Looks more draggish than ever before...and can those lips get any bigger? Would like to have seen some older picks...like the Misty Circles cover era (he looks beautiful). Liner notes, by Pete, are also lame. No "real" history of before the band (Nightmares in Wax), no mention of Wayne Hussey (Sisters of Mercy and the Mission UK)...he was on SOBB and left before it came out (interesting side note, I blindly bought the Mission's "God's own medicine" because Wayne was a part of DOA and I thought that this was another band that would be like them...um I was really wrong. But I got introduced to a really great band). Most of the notes are a pat on the back to himself. He pushes "the fast forward button" way too much...never talks about the group. Never really mentions what happened to their producers SAW (I think one of the passed from AIDS...which was really tragic and I think the production suffered after that). And says really nothing about the new material for those that care. I would have liked a little more history and little less posing.

A bit of a mixed bag. Good points definitely outshine the bad. There is a Video Collection out there of this...and THAT would be a treat...But I live in the states and nothing will probably be released via videos. If this is one of your first forte's into this group, I recommend getting any of the first 4 albums (avoid Rip it Up...ok for it's time, but obsolete and cheesy now).

Hope this helps.