Customer Reviews

Fragile: 2000 Remixes

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...if not unsurprising. Dead or Alive has made a habit in the last ten years of repackaging old material as new and throwing in a few new gems to make the whole thing look a little prettier. While not unheard of elsewhere in pop music, there seems to be no sign of them putting a stop to this trend, as evidenced on "Fragile," their new (or should I say *half* new?) release.

"Fragile" contains several new songs which are almost all excellent and in the usual Pete Burns/DOA style of over-the-top camp mixed with vocal brutality, set to a thunderous techno pop beat. I say "several new songs" because the rest of the album is filled up by remixes of old DOA favorites, some of them at least partly re-recorded. Most of these tracks sound new and exciting (particularly "Lover Come Back To Me") while a few of them (like the uninspired remix of "Turn Around and Count 2 Ten" and the millionth remix of "You Spin Me Round," which at this point should just be retired by DOA so that it doesn't turn up on any future albums) are a snooze.

The new material is what really matters. "Isn't It a Pity," Pete's big F.O to his critics, is highly amusing and very inventive sounding compared to what DOA has done in the past. "I Paralyze" is ferocious and "Hit and Run Lover" is an instant DOA classic.

A few of the supposed "new" tracks actually aren't very new, however. "Even Better Than the Real Thing 2000" is actually identical to the version which appeared on the "I Will Follow U" tribute album to U2, released by Cleopatra Records in 1999 (a label which DOA has since abandoned, I believe). I find it strange that they wouldn't also throw in "Pop Life" from the Prince "Party of the Times" tribute album Cleopatra did last year, and "Why's It So Hard?" from the "Virgin Voices" Madonna tribute on the same label. It would have added two additional "new" tracks and made for a more "fresh" experience over all, even if these songs have been sitting around elsewhere for 12 or more months.

Fans will recall a similar incident with 1991's "Fan the Flame p.1", which DOA salvaged several tunes from in order to fill in the blanks on "Nukleopatra" 5 years later. Well, at least they're stealing from themselves!

While the new material on "Fragile" seems highly similar to the "Nukleopatra" album in terms of sound and style, there are differences of note. It seems obvious that the boys are experimenting with new styles ("Isn't It a Pity" and "I Promised Myself" being the most obvious examples) and that's refreshing. But why Pete insists on including yet another "You Spin Me..." mix on this album when he claims to hate the song so much is beyond me. By now most people no longer care about it sounding "new" because everyone loves the old one anyway!

Final verdict: Not as good as "Nukleopatra," over all, but close. Consider it an E.P. with some bonus tracks which are just remixes of old hits. But somehow I don't think that's what they are going for...

Next time, let's hope for something totally new.

Comprising one cover tune, four new songs and seven remixes of previously released material, Fragile is good (sometimes excellent) dance pop. The newer songs are solid, catchy, energetic, carefully produced and they will take up semi-permanent residence in your head: Hit and Run Lover feels like a ride on a merry-go-round, with a see-saw synth line threading through Pete Burns' melodramatic done-me-wrong tale. I Paralyze ups the stakes, crammed with burping, bleeping layers of gotta-dance sound. Isn't It a Pity is a much more simple affair, with Burns singing about his image over a sparse Space Invaders soundtrack. Just What I Always Wanted has some simple lyrics and an even simpler chorus (desire is pretty straightforward, after all), but it's repetitiveness will grow on you. Finally, I Promised Myself is a hefty slice of Euro-cheese so stinky it'll brings a tear to your eye: it's magnificent! (As for the remixes, each inspires all manner of reactions in those who listen to them -- you'll love 'em or you'll leave 'em -- that's what the buttons on your sound system were made for!) Buy this! You'll be drawn back to Fragile over and over again, guaranteed!

Disco+Rock+Techno+Glam = DEAD OR ALIVE!!! That's right, the boys are back with a wicked collection of >NEW< tracks as well as some killer remakes of their classics. Following in the footsteps of their amazing NUKLEOPATRA, Dead Or Alive once again prove their ability to evolve and grow in their craft, yet still manage to set the dance floor on fire!

Dead or Alive are back!! This Japanese release has elements of brilliant electro-high energy pop music that very few groups/artists have been able to achieve successfully. Half this album does that, the other half should be back to the drawing board.

Put simply, the new tracks - Hit and Run Lover, I Parelyze, Isnt it a Pity, Just what I always wanted, and I Promised Myself, are absolutely fantastic. I find these tracks to be there best work since there 'Nude' album in 1989. The creativity they received in production on these tracks is indeed stupendous.

So what happened to the other half of the album you say? Well unfortunately, as Dead or Alive themselves have confessed, there new record company in Japan 'AVEX', wanted them to do some remixes of there older tracks. Largely, these tracks are flops, and don't do justice to the originals at all. Lover Come Back to Me is a highlight which almost threatens to break out into a 'Sash' style song. But other than that, things are quite grim.

What really needs to happen to 'Fragile' to make it work, is for it to be a worldwide release of all new material (although Lover Come Back could be used as a past teaser - as Spin Me Round was for the 1996 album Nukleopatra).

I can't believe how excellent the new tracks are, and it shows great promise for the future. The energy from Pete's voice is indeed mindblowing and unique, and the dance/pop music public deserve to have Dead or Alive at their creative best.

For these new tracks alone, I would recommend anyone who has liked Dead or Alive in the past to buy it.

WHAT A FANTASTIC CD. THE NEW MATERIAL RANKS UP THERE WITH THE NUDE/YOUTHQUAKE CD'S. THIS CD IS A MUST FOR ANY DOA FAN. THE WHOLE CD IS PUMPING WITH ENERGY, CAMP AND THAT EDGE ONLY PETE BURNS CAN DELIVER. MY FAVORITES ARE HIT AND RUN LOVER(GREAT DANCE TRACK),ISN'T IT A PITY(100% CAMP)AND JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED(FUN TRACK). ALL THE REMAKES ARE GREAT(I LOVE WHAT THEY,VE DONE TO TURN AROUND AND COUNT TO TEN, LOVER COME BACK TO ME AND EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING) EXCEPT FOR BLUE CHRISTMAS WHICH WAS REALLY BAD THE FIRST TIME AROUND. IN THE FUTURE I HOPE THEY RELEASE A CD WITH ALL NEW MATERIAL, HOWEVER YOU WON'T FEEL CHEATED IF YOU BUY THIS ONE NOW.

I've been a deadicated fan of DOA since '85. I purchased this album 4 days after it's release from Japan. The only remake I LOVE is "Lover Come Back To Me". I was so disappointed with the remake of "Something In My House" because it left out the #1 catchy lyric in the song: "I I IIIII". I think that one lyric is the most powerful aspect of "Something In My House". Call me picky? NOT! "I Paralyze" in my opinion, is the best song featured on the Fragile album. Did anybody notice the harmony off "Hit And Run Lover"? I recognized it from "Brand New Lover"! In a way, DOA did remake "Brand New Lover" by introducing "Hit And Run Lover"....listen to the melody and the smoothness of the song.....AWESOME! I expect DOA to come out with their follow up to Fragile very soon. Pete....hope you're feeling better now, healthwise.....you're gonna need all the energy for us die-hard Fans! LOVE, JERRY nukleopatra@safelink.net

I was very excited to hear about a new Dead or Alive CD coming out and when i got it...well i wasnt all that into it...BUT...this one is more of an aquired taste...the more i listened the more it grew on me!! I do love it now..but there were a few songs that immediately jumped out...such as Isnt it a Pity!! GREAT SONG!! Really!! It took me a few listens but this is a great CD to have and if you are a Dead or Alive fan then you will Love it...if you are new to the band then i would suggest trying Nukelopatra or Youthquake or Mad Bad and Dangerous to Know......Fragile is more for the Die Hard fans of this band...you know who you are!!!

Well, what can I say? After debating the cost of getting this to the UK I can honestly say it is well worth the money!! The money is well spent for the new tracks alone - Hit & Run Lover being a classic DOA track. The 2000 remixes of the old tracks are themselves great additions - they bring the old tracks right up to date. When you listen to the old albums I find they are a little dated, but these 2000 mixes bring them bang upto date and are superb (Lover Come Back To Me being my fave). Go ahead and buy this album you won't be dissappointed!!

Well, I just got the cd, after a year of debating if I should spent $... on it. Ok! First of all the cd is worth the money for the new songs alone, Hit and Run Lover, I Paralyze, and Isn't It a Pity are my favorites. Promised Myself is good but doesnt sound like a regular DOA song, but still gets you going. Ok, for the remixes, feels like if they made them in a hurry, especially Turn Around and Count To Ten, and You Spin Me. Why in the world Pete wanted to make another remake of this song? For the rest of the remixes they dont come close to the originals. If you are a DOA fan get this one for the new songs!!!!!

I love this cd. Dead or Alive is my favorite group. Fragile is a very energitic cd. The music just bounces and the vocals are great!