Gold Stars 1992-2002

Juliana Hatfield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 25, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zoe Records
• ASIN: B000068GFQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,549 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Everybody Loves Me But You

2. My Sister

3. Spin the Bottle

4. Universal Heartbeat

5. Fleur de Lys

6. Mountains of Love

7. Fade Away

8. Sellout

9. Live It Up

10. Sneaking Around

11. Somebody is Waiting for Me

12. Cry in the Dark

13. Houseboy

14. My Protegee

15. Every Breath You Take

16. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

17. Don't Walk Away

18. Your Eyes

19. We Will Rise Again

20. Table for One

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An odd "best of"., July 25, 2005

By 

Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gold Stars 1992-2002 (Audio CD)

An odd compilation obstinately listed as a best of Juliana Hatfield but decidingly avoiding her early material, "Gold Stars" is nonetheless a good introduction to Hatfield's music and essential for fans due to the presence of seven unreleased tracks and one rarity.

From her early records (all tragically out of print courtesy of Atlantic Records), there's one track from her debut, "Hey Babe" (standout "Everybody Loves Me But You"), a pair each from "Become What You Are" (singles "My Sister" and "Spin the Bottle") and "Only Everything" (single "Universal Heart-Beat" and "Fleur de Lys"). These are fairly representative of the albums and should provide a good introduction to her early material for anyone not familiar with it, and while I could complain readily about the track selection, it is what it is.

The album also includes two tracks from her rejected album, "God's Foot". Atlantic refused to release the album, Hatfield tried desparately to reclaim it and failed, this is the first legitimate release of any of it. If these songs are evidenced, the album was filled with detailed arrangements and phenomenal songwriting. Hatfield felt it was her best work, and its failure led to her moving to independent labels.

From her time on the indie labels comes one from the EP "Please Do Not Disturb" (the superb, powerful "Sellout") and two each from "Bed" ("Live It Up" and "Sneaking Around"), "Beautiful Creature" ("Somebody is Waiting For Me" and "Cry in the Dark") and "Total System Failure" ("Houseboy" and "My Protegee"). This is where I really feel quite contentious by the material selected-- a best of without the breathtaking ballads "Trying Not To Think About It" (from "Please Do Not Disturb") and "Close Your Eyes" (from "Beautiful Creature") seems a bit artificial, and certainly "Bed" outtake "Anemia" (released on the extremely rare Japanese release of that record) is among her best in my assessment, but this is all opinion, and these are decent tracks reasonably representative of the albums.

The remainder of the recording is two covers-- The Police's "Every Breath You Take" as a churning alt-rock guitar-driven piece and a relatively straight cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart"-- and four unreleased tracks from 2001 recording sessions. Remarkably, I didn't find any of these four to be particularly intriguing, although "Your Eyes" is probably my favorite of them.

All in all, a reasonable introduction to Hatfield, though I'd dive straight into "Become What You Are" or "Beautiful Creature" (if you're a bit weird) rather than getting this.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mixture of the old, the newer and the newest, February 19, 2003

By 

Todd Bettis (Jacksonville, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gold Stars 1992-2002 (Audio CD)

I know a lot of people have criticized Gold Stars because it's not the compilation of hits they expected. Indeed, Juliana put some new music on this cd and some songs that might not be considered "greatest hits," but I think the cd nicely captures her array of sounds. It's a great cd, even if it's not truly what one might expect. A lot of fans want to hear Juliana's old stuff and others want to hear her new stuff, and as the saying goes, "You can't please all the people..." She tries to please both sides, and give some new music to boot.

The sound of this cd varies so much, it's really a pleasure to listen to, as it takes the listener on a ride first chronologically through Juliana's career, then melodically through her different styles. For anyone who is a Juliana fan or those just listening to her for the first time, Gold Stars is a great choice.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I See Stars, July 12, 2002

By 

Ramona Fitzpumpkin (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gold Stars 1992-2002 (Audio CD)

Two years have passed since Juliana has released new solo work. Although "Golden Stars" is primarily a greatest hits album, there are some unreleased tracks. Listening to this album was like reading a diary. From "Everybody Loves Me" to "Cry in the Dark" the listener ventures into a land of angst and pain that most everyone feels once in their lives. My favorite, "Your Eyes," is an incredible song. I can't describe it, but it's a heavenly Juliana song. Buy the album. Support Juliana so she can give us more music. Okay?