Films About Ghosts [Enhanced, Original recording remastered]

Counting Crows | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 25, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording remastered
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B0000DZDTL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,344 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Very Best of the Counting Crows. . . maybe, January 21, 2004

By 

E. Callaway (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Films About Ghosts (Audio CD)

It now amazes me how incomplete any "best of" can be when it comes to this band. Every one of these songs is great, that I do not argue, but it just does not feel like it is whole. This could easily be two disks, or even more. It does have fair representation of the studio albums, but there is so much more that the Crows have to offer.

One thing I found surprising about this CD was the fact that "Einstein on the Beach" was included after years of lead singer, Adam Duritz regretting ever having given it to Geffen Records. It is a great song and I would love to hear it played live after having heard it for the better part of a decade on the DGC Rarities Vol. 1 record.(to my knowledg there never was a Vol. 2)

There are two new recordings found on "Films About Ghosts." I rather enjoy the cover of The Greatful Dead's "Friend of the Devil." Honestly, I think the Crows did a better job on the song. "She Don't Want Nobody Near" is the second new recording on the album. It is an original song and has now been released as a single. Of the two, I prefer "Friend of the Devil," but "She Don't Want Nobody Near" is very good.

All of the hits are here; "Mr. Jones," "Round Here," and "A Long December" to mention a few. I do enjoy hearing these songs, but I think they are better in the context of their respective records. As a collection of songs it is great, as a "greatest hits" it is good, but I think it perhaps falls short in the category of "best of." Taking these songs from the context of the album does not do them justice.

epc

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of Counting Crows, November 28, 2003

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Films About Ghosts (Audio CD)

Maybe you are like me who, after "August and Everything After" and "Recovering the Sattelites", have fallen off the Counting Crows' band-wagon as a result of the less than great (if not to say mediocre) albums "The Desert Life" and "Hard Candy". Well, our problems have been solved by this "greatest hits" album.

"Films About Ghosts: The Best Of Counting Crows" (16 tracks, 72 min.) pretty much delivers on the premise, which is to say: all the hits and best known tracks are here. Rightfully, this compilation centers on the first album: 5 tracks from "August and Everything After", including the essential "Mr. Jones" (the song that put the band on the musical map), "Round Here", the exquisite "Rain King", "Omaha" and "Anna Begins". "Recovering the Sattelites" is represented by 3 tracks, including the haunting "A Long December", the hard-rocking "Angels of the Silences" and the title track. The later years have some good songs, including the jamming "Hanginaround", and even the cover of "Big Yellow Taxi", an unexpected radio hit. But the true treasure on this compilation is "Einstein on the Beach", which appears for the first time on a Counting Crows release. "Einstein" is a 1991 "demo" (but not sounding like a demo), which lead the band to getting a record deal, and is arguably Counting Crows' best song ever. Adam Duritz never sounded so upbeat again.

Is this compilation perfect? No. For one, I like "best of" compilations to run chronogically, and this one doesn't. But that quibble aside, "Films About Ghosts" is a really great overview of Counting Crows' best songs to date.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So Close..., November 25, 2003

By 

"joewhichever" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Films About Ghosts (Audio CD)

For those few that have held off buying previous Crows' albums, this would be a perfect introduction. It contains five songs from the amazing debut, three from "Recovering the Satellites", two from "This Desert Life" (which was fine with me because those two would've been my only choices as well), three from "Hard Candy" and three "new" recordings (one's a new cover tune, and one was available on a previous Geffen compilation).

The best part of this CD is that it starts off strong with "Angels of the Silences" and "Round Here", two different styles and moods, but two of my favorites. The rest of the collection is pretty solid except for two minor details: they included "Big Yellow Taxi", which has been covered way too often in my opinion, and left out what I feel to be their best song, "A Murder of One". If they had included it, I would have rated this five stars, easily.

At least there's a new song on here, which is pretty catchy and somewhat reminiscent of "Mr. Jones".

Definitely worth picking up, for yourself or to introduce to someone as a gift. If you already own all of their cd's, you might think about skipping it, just picking up the new song on a single.