Customer Reviews

Galaxie 500

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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How often is is that you can own the entire recorded output of one of the most important bands you will ever listen to? (well, everything excluding the live disc "Copenhagen")

G-500 is beautiful and unsettling, simultaneously. This music will affect you mind, your soul, the course of your life. Listen.

Dismissing Galaxie 500 as "another Velvet Underground knockoff" is like calling Joy Division "another Doors knockoff". Sure, there are obvious similarities. But Galaxie 500 created their own sound: a sound to match a lethargic teenager and his romantic yearnings. "Tugboat" is the ultimate anthem for a shy, withdrawn young man suffering from a case of unrequited love. Played quietly, it's a perfect lullaby. At loud volumes, it sounds almost frantic, with the final guitar solo screaming over the violent drums and chiming two-chord riff. One amazing thing about Galaxie 500 is, if you like their sound, you will probably enjoy every song they recorded. While ON FIRE and TODAY provide instant gratification, THIS IS OUR MUSIC will probably require multiple listens before it provides comparable enjoyment. The UNCOLLECTED disc will exceed most expectations, making the box set a 'must' for fans of the band's released recordings. A word of warning: this music makes lethargy seem appealing and inviting.

Cranked out 3 albums and were done with it. And, apparently, made the music they wanted to make. Signature tunes are soaring and sad at the same time. So many good songs on these discs-- Blue Thunder, When Will You Come Home, Plastic Bird, Tugboat, 4th of July, Oblivious-- shoot, everything they did is good, good.

Saw a car commercial the other day, the music playing in the background was "Instrumental" from _Today_.

This box set includes all of the albums plus "uncollected" tracks not found together anywhere else. A must for all Galaxie 500 fans, even if you have the albums on vinyl already. I particularly like their cover of the Rutles' "Cheese and Onions".

Being a fan of Luna, and having heard good things about the band, I decided to take a flier on this box set and boy am I ever glad I did. I cannot exactly describe the sound. I truly believe it has to be experienced. I suppose sublime might be a good description, or perhaps hypnotic.

In any event, this chronicle of Galaxie 500 is great. With each additional listening I form a greater appreciation for what they were trying to accomplish musicially. It is quite refreshing to listen to a band that doesn't necessarily feel the need to:

1) play as fast as the dickens 2) play as loud as all get-out 3) write lyrics that make 100% sense

These are finely crafted tunes and I do believe they make all the more sense when heard as a whole complete document.

Bravo!

Slowing down the fast paced world, they spoke through their finely crafted music, and carefully chosen words. Though they exist in different forms today, nothing shall match the everlasting spirit of love that could be gained from Galaxie 500.

Where can you begin with this band? How about a reunion tour as coctau twins did't quite cut it for me in 91"? There are but possibly a few bands that have had such a complete influence on my life (way to go guys n gal)!! The music created is very well crafted with a minimalist approach. Though admittedly influenced by VU plus others, this band is in my opinion very original and NECESSARY. They created wonderful new sounds independantly of other sounds around at the time.. how wonderful, a band that was actually creative. The american public was not ready for them at the time, and to this day like most other truely great bands, they remain largely unknown to this day. Best cd-this is our music. Perfect sunday stoner rock and roll perfect for not getting out of bed on a snowy sunday morning(or afternoon) when you had a bit too much fun the night before!! DO NOT let this gem get by you.. FOR REAL

Somnambulance strikes again as the redoubtable Rykodisc reissues the entire Galaxie 500 oeuvre all in one dark, brooding shrug. The 3rd Velvet Underground is the band's touchstone, and the wide-open spaces of its willowy vocals and melodic, dreamy guitar soundscapes are both candy and codeine for the ears. Each of the three album-proper discs has extra tracks and the fourth contains the earliest demos and other ephemera; all four discs have nifty videos. The box also contains a book with loads of info, pictures and sometimes pointed commentary by the erstwhile Galaxies. An astonishing collection for the somnambulant set.

Four discs, count 'em four, and every one is magnificent. Not bad for a little indie band. I'm only sorry I discovered these guys six years after they broke up. Luckily, Wareham continues his work with LUNA so we can all still get our opioid fix of truly blissful rock. Galaxie 500's work is very young and raw, but it is all held together by very tight melodies and skillful musicianship. Damon's drum work is wonderful and Dean's guitar and vocals are most captivating. You won't regret dropping 50 bones for this box set; you'll listen to it over and over for years and years.