Customer Reviews

Express

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the high point of Love & Rockets' career. Although I love 'Hot Trip to Heaven' and 'Lift', this is the record where quality met commercialism perfectly. It's also the record where David J's (weird) folk slant matched Daniel Ash's guitar Epics just as perfectly. There's a great chemistry throughout this catchy CD, a band working together. Sadly, that would change.

Technical stuff: Besides the original UK album, this CD includes 7 bonus tracks. Two of them ("Angels & Devils" & "Holiday on the Moon") are already available in the U.S. edition. There are 2 USA remixes of "Yin and Yang" and "Ball of Confusion". The USA mix of "Yin" is better than the original, with a really dynamic rhythm section. "Ball of Confusion" is no better or worse than the version you'll find on the '7th Dream of Teenage Heaven" remastered UK edition. But Love & Rockets' cover of Pink Floyd's "Lucifer Sam" is an excellent 'lost' track that all fans should hear, with really great bass and compact poppy excitement, faithful to the fun spirit of Syd Barrett's original. The rare "B-Side #1" and "B-side #2" are only 3 minutes combined, and really don't offer much ("B-side #2" is actually very aggravating). Still, the sound on this wonderful CD is so improved, this is the version you should own, galaxies better than the US late-'80s CD master.

My only complaints: the CD doesn't include the tight UK 4-minute version of "Ball of Confusion", despite promises from Beggars Banquet. And sadly, the CD doesn't include the very rare 'The Bubblemen Are Coming!' EP, a joke record where L&R loosen up and take on the fat kooky persona of those Bubblemen (bee-men?) who miraculously showed up at L&R shows in the '80s. None of that is here, and I'm afraid it will slip through the CD cracks.

This overlooked gem is one of the all time classic rock albums. On par with the Beatles' White Album, The Clash's London Calling & better than Pink Floyd's Dark Side... I bought the LP when it came out in the US & wore it out. It was one of the first CD's I bought, when I got my 1st CD player, & I scratched it up quite a bit. So I had to buy this remaster too even though I already had the original US CD. Well, I have mixed feelings about this re-issue. It takes the original UK LP & adds the alternative & 12" tracks as bonuses, whereas the original US CD substituted some of the tracks w/ the 12" versions & threw in some b-sides for good measure. For me, the original US CD version is better organized. The selected tracks & their organization feels much more like a cohesive whole (a la DSOTM) than did the UK LP. Angels & Devils was a great opener, but its placement on this version seems to bog things down...and "An American Dream" is the perfect closing song. So this version feels very disjointed, despite the fact that it's nice to have the additional tracks (though most of these are not essential).

While different in terms of song order compared to the original US version of this CD, the real bonus here is the US mix of "Ball of Confusion". It is the version that used to be played in clubs, and is basically the definitive version of the song. The 7 minute version on the original US CD was basically the SHORT version of the song which is then looped in an instrumental take. IT was very annoying. this 6 minute US version is actually the EXTENDED version, so it flows so much better.

The real challenge is getting used to the song order for owners of the original CD---but that's the glory of programming.

I was always a big fan of Bauhaus, and Love and Rockets is very reminicent of Bauhaus, but not quite so dark. The tunes are a little more up tempo and well worth the investment.

I had this on vinyl, then on cassette, and I just recently got it on CD. It's one of those albums that never gets old to listen to. "Love Me" is very catchy and ethereal, very Daniel Ash. The bonus track of "Holiday on the Moon" ends up stuck in my head for days. And I must say that there's not much if anything bad to say at all about this album. It has a very classic Love and Rockets sound, before they got more influenced by techno (as in Lift). Although it was recorded in the Eighties, the sound was way before its time, and could very well pass for something done closer to the millennium. Definitely something you won't be disappointed in.

"Express" is definitely one of my top ten albums/CDs of all time and the re-mastered version is just that much better. The sound quality is superb compared to the original.

The original sounds flat and thin, while this version leaps off the speakers. And ripped and synced to your MP3 player you will definitely notice the difference in quality over the original recording.

A can't-go-wrong purchase if you enjoy Love and Rockets.

(I also purchased the re-mastered versions of "Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven," and "Earth, Sun, Moon" and they too are well worth the investment for the sound quality alone.)

Justice has been served! Finally this album was remastered properly, and not in a rush from questionable source material. All good tracks, no filler. Definitely worth the money!!

Who makes music like these guys. Makes you go back to the good days. love it

Seeing as there are 2 different album versions out on here, I still have a different one, but it's closest to this one... but it doesn't have the b-sides. I have heard the excellent Pink Floyd cover, & suggest getting this album version esp. for that one rare track. My version begins with "Angels & Devils", which sounds more like Tones on Tail, & I always skip over cuz I wanna go right for the songs that really get me going. Not quite goth, not new-wave, this album defies rock categorization because there are so many different influences going on. You have the Pink Floyd cover, & also a cover by the Temptations!! How cool & different is that? "It Could be sunshine" starts with a catchy sax hook that goes into an even catchier beat with the rhythm section that will have your feet & hands tapping in no time. If you look at the liner notes, there seems to be a good mix of song-writing by Ash & David J individually on different songs, but this song is the perfect example of them collaborating together... starting w/ a more laidback intro (Dave J), & then kicking into a more in your face Ash-rock feel. After seeing Ash live a couple months back, much of the solo material he played was edgy like this track.

"Kundalini Express" is also very catchy, if not just for the "hoo-hooo"'s. "All in My Mind" is one of the strongest songs on the album, I think. The lyrics actually made me ponder with the lines "but if you look into your mirror you'll see that nobody/has ever ripped you off it's all in your mind". The first time I heard "Life in Laralay", I instantly thought of Bauhaus "She's in Parties"... it's even in the same key!! But hey, it's ok to rip off yourself ;-) This is prolly my 2nd fave song on the album just cuz I liked "Parties" so much. It makes me wanna sing along, & who cares what David J's lyrics are trying to say. And then the well known "Ball of Confusion (Special Mix)".... great cover, even take a listen to the original, which makes an interesting comparison.

"Holiday" slows the pacing of the faster songs (on my cd), & has a cool slight guitar delay that gives it a mysterious vibe... & a way cool guitar intro. The pace picks back up with the fun "Yin & Yang" remix, an instant foot tapper. "Love Me" & "All in my Mind (acoustic)" are the other 2 slower ones... love the acoustic version, very dreamy. "An American Dream" ends the album nicely, starting like another acoustic track, but moves along midway. It was delightful to see Ash play a really long version of this at the show too.

And of course, the other added bonus, the double vocals... either solo, haromonizing, & or in sync. It almost drove me nuts sometimes guessing who was singing (like with Depeche Mode), but then after a while you can distinguish who's who. It just sounds like these guys had fun with this album, cuz those are the vibes I get from listening to it. I wish more bands would just have fun & rock at the same time like this!! I've only had this album a little over a year now, & I've heard it MANY times in a short time. It's already gone up my "I-would-cry-if-I-lost-these-albums" list... & I certainly can't say that about all the cds I own. And yes, used cd bins do hide some goodies!! One more thing: BUY THIS!!

i love this band. they made good music from day one until they broke up. this album is fabulous. david daniel and kevin make beautiful music together. they have beautiful voices and stimulating melodies that have at times drove me to singing into the handle of my brush. if you are wondering whether to buy this album....stop reading and get buying!