Customer Reviews

Fresh As a Daisy: The Singles (Bonus CD)

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

 

 

It's greatest merit is (finally!) the enclusion of all five tracks from the first two James singles (also collected previously on the vinyl-only "Village Fire" EP.) To me, these tracks ("What's The World," "Folklore," "Fire So Close" (different from the "Stutter version), "If Things Were Perfect" and "Hymn From A Village") were never bettered by the band, and aside from a couple of the cropping up on compilations, they've been lacking on CD until now. Their experimental folksy sound, the brilliance of the lyrics, the perfect production . . . ahhh! Though James knocked a few tunes out of the ballpark with each album, this small string of perfection remains one of the more amazing points of mid-80s pop.

Sadly, the mastering is really awful. It's mastered so loudly that distortion is present from the first few seconds; a bitter disappointment, which decimates much of the fragile charms of these songs. A star off for that.

Aside from that, there are some tougher to find tracks here - the a-side of the third single "Chainmail" being a favorite, and all the a-sides from start to finish. It's a nice collection, though liner notes or something more than a few memories from the band members would have been nice. This is also available as a single CD, with a different track selection.

I've been enjoying music by James since my student days when I first heard the classic tracks "What For" and "Ya Ho" from the Srip-mine album. Back then Gold Mother had been released, followed up two years later by Seven. Both are great albums, imo, and this 2-disc Singles album gets the top tunes from each along with other well known James tracks and some tunes that aren't so well known. What you get as always are lyrics that question life, government, the human condition and the unique James sound and voice of Tim Booth. Recommended for James fans, and those who may be interested in hearing more of the band than just the big hits.

Have to agree with the review saying that this is a superb collection but it is ridiculously overpriced. The solution: wait a bit and buy a second-hand one from Amazon, they are listed already at around 13 bucks.

Although some reviewers have complained about the price of this two-disc import, I think it's definitely worth it. This particular version presents the songs in chronological order, so it is interesting to listen to the album from start to finish and appreciate the evolution of James. This collection is a must-have for new and old James fans alike!

This star rating is low because of the price. As of this writing, it's listed at over $50! I am a die-never James fan. I have all their CDs, plus their previous "Best of," plus some CD singles, live DVD, etc. I love their music, and have made numerous mix tapes and CDs introducing friends to this wonderful band's music. I was heart-broken when they broke up, and I was elated when they reunited. I couldn't wait until they released new music, but for only a couple new songs, I can't justify buying these same songs yet again. Twenty bucks, thirty - maybe. But over $50 is over the line. The single disc version is equally ridiculous at $35, and it doesn't have the new tracks.

Anyone encountering this who's new to James, I strongly encourage you check out either their masterpieces (Laid, Seven) or The Best of James, a much better value with basically the same songs (it just doesn't have the latter day stuff from the excellent Millionaires and Pleased to Meet You, but it's still a great overview).

I'm sure this collection is great - after all, the songs all are. But for this price, I have to pass. I'll have to find some other way to get my hands on the new tracks and continue waiting for their next proper album

Albums like this throw the review stars system into complete disarray.
Briefly; 'Fresh as a Daisy' (what a GREAT title!) maps out James career in two distinct halves.
Half the first consists of some of the finest, eclectic music you are likely to hear. Jingly-jangly folk rock served up with escalating intensity, like a slightly punked-up Fairport Convention, brimming with verve and swerve, vim and vigour.
The FC comparison is a fair one. 'Chain Mail' 'Johnny Yen' and the sparkling `'Folklore' would sit snugly in the folds of 'Unhalfbricking', despite being separated by a huge distance of culture; while the whole collection's stand out song: 'What For' provides what we may term (for the first and VERY probably the last time) thrash-folk, as it thumps, thuds and whistles its way to its particularly climatic conclusion.

Let's be plain (hurrah! - imaginary Amazon ed), the first ten songs on this compilation are breathlessly, effortlessly brilliant which makes the rest, by their utter mediocrity, so very disappointing.

Maybe it's not entirely James fault; they had a drawn-out disagreement with their record company which meant they had no product of any description on the shelves FOR YEARS.
When they finally emerged from legal limbo they'd become a rock act, all brass and bromide. The angry fire of the early singles had gone, replaced by turgid AOR and blunt preaching.
Ironically this period saw them have hits; the pointless drone 'Sit Down' being the biggest - and one of the worst, closely followed by 'Come Home'; the weedy 'She's A Star,' and seemingly hundreds of similar songs which could have been performed by hundreds of similar groups.
Perhaps they owed thousands in legal fees and needed some cash quick, because the transformation from original, intelligent and inventive to bluff, conservative and tepid is SO pronounced after the enforced hiatus, it's almost like a slap.
And the evidence is here on this cd; the most annoying excellent/poor hybrid in rock's excellent/poor history.

Which brings me back to my original dilemma, do I dismiss the later stuff and award a just and true 5 stars for their early work, or do I dock 'em down to 2 for the moribund rest? (The remarkable 'What For' is easily worthy of a star on it's own, so too 'So Many Ways')

We're essentially dealing with two different groups, therefore two different works, but I really must hazard that no respectable music fan can expect to be taken seriously without the early recordings.

I suppose, being the indecisive cove that I am, I'll plump for somewhere in-between. Beyond the pontificating, commenting in generalizations and paraphrasing the great Boris Karloff: Cd1-Goood, Cd2-Baaad!
You could always be a top taste arbiter and isolate 'Chain Mail' and it's thorny folk cohorts onto a separate tape I suppose..