Customer Reviews

Greatest Fits

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After disappointing albums like "Filth Pig" and "Dark Side of the Spoon", Warner Bros. decided to part ways with Ministry; but not before they could try to make a quick buck with this greatest hits release. However, "Greatest Fits" does provide a satisfying overview of Ministry's career, and offers some bonuses as well. Beginning with "What About Us", a song written for Steven Speilberg's wanna be blockbuster film A.I., and going forward with Ministry classics like "Stigmata", "Land of Rape and Honey", a ten minute live version of "So What", "N.W.O.", "Just One Fix", "Jesus Built My Hot Rod", a 12' remix of "Reload", and a cover of Black Sabbath's "Supernaut". And while this is an all around great collection of Ministry tunes, one can't help but wonder why fan favorite tracks like "Psalm 69" and "Burning Inside" aren't here. I would rather listen to those any day as opposed to "Bad Blood". All in all, "Greatest Fits" is a good overview of Ministry's career, and is a nice introduction for newer fans of the band.

Jesus, get it right. I'm a die-hard Ministry fan, but I'm tempted to give this weak-willed compilation album a neutral rating simply because the reviewer doesn't know Jourgensen's Ministry for Ministry of Sound's 2000 clubber's guide to trance. "Land of Milk and Honey" should be "Land of Rape and Honey". Is it so hard to read the liner notes? You'd think someone mildly knowledgable could have been curtailed to write the review.

I saw this new Ministry album and had to have it. Being an avid fan of the band, though, I was struck with a scary thought when I noticed the familiarity of the tracks listed on back: Does this greatest hits album somehow signify that Ministry is on the verge of calling it quits? I'm not kept abrest in the gossip loop, and have no idea what's going on with the band, but the idea of this legendary group splitting up puts a stitch in my heart.

That being said, 'Greatest Fits' is a pretty thorough compilation of classic & more recent Ministry tracks. Most likely anyone who's into the band already owns what's on this CD, but it is worth it just to have all the strong tracks on a single disc. There is a new song (done for the upcoming movie "A.I.") called "What About Us?" which echoes 'Dark Side of the Spoon' and is pretty average. Also included is an alternative live version of "So What," a 12" version of "Reload," and "Supernaut," which I believe (but am not sure) was previously unreleased.

Overall, this is an ideal sampler to get someone started on Ministry, but anyone who's been following the band for years will see it as nothing more than an attempt by the band to milk out some extra $. As far as getting a lot of good songs from several albums on one CD, this is a solid compilation.

All in all, a fine collection that's only short a couple tracks. The bigger "hits" are here, like "Stigmata", "Thieves", and "Jesus Built my Hotrod", as well as the new "What About Us?", the "Reload 12", and an awesome live "So What". I think the Bob Dylan cover of "Lay Lady Lay" is a nice touch too. If I could throw a few more on, I would take "You Know What You Are", "Burning Inside", or "Dead Guy". But again, other than being only 13 tracks, it's a great industrial/metal collection from "Ministry". It will go nicely with your "NIN" and "Skinny Puppy" cd's.

Ministry was one of the most influential industrial-metal groups to ever grace the music scene. With their mix of thrash-heavy riffs, pulsing beats, and electronic samples/blips, Ministry showed many people how making music is done.

"What About Us?" is a rather interesting addition, from the A.I. movie, but it seems to showcase Ministry heading back in the right direction. From there, we are treated to tasty tunes like the rousing "Stigmata", the hard-charging "N.W.O." and the pummeling "Just One Fix". Also worthy of mention is the rather cool 12" version of "Reload" and the crunchy "Supermanic Soul". The disc ends with a splendid cover of Black Sabbath's "Supernaut"...and a reminder that Ministry was going to head in the right direction.

For those who are looking for a beginner's guide to the world of Ministry, GREATEST FITS is a good place to start. If you're a longtime fan of the band, then maybe this collection might or might not be worth it for you. Either way, it's a grand collection from one of the most influential and downright coolest bands of all time.

This is a pretty good greatest hits album, but it could have been a lot better. The album is completely devoid of any of their new wave hits, which is pretty disappointing, I always thought it was definitely a highlight in their career. I also don't see the point in having a drawn out live version of "So What" on this disc, they should have just gone with the regular version and used this for another compilation of B Sides or something. And then they include Supernaut... I'm sorry, why? That is not Ministry, it is 1000 Homo DJs. I feel they just added it because Trent Reznor did the vocals. Like I said, this is good, but it could have been much better and I think they have more hits than they gave themself credit for. "Revenge"? "Over the Shoulder"? And even more left out. Swap out a couple of the tracks that don't belong and fill the CD to capacity. They could have done it, but they chose not to.

Brings back those memories from teenage life. Excellent choice of songs. Perfect music for driving down the highway too or scare the older ladies with! :)

This compilation is not the band's attempt to milk money from Ministry fans, it's the record company's. Ministry was dropped from Warner Bros. earlier this year and the company is just getting a few extra dollars out of the name since they own much of the band's back catelogue.

While the collection may not include some of Ministry's best songs, it does provide a decent overview of the band's music. It's mainly a collection of the most popular songs by Ministry, but what "greatest (f)its" collection isn't?

This collection falls prey to popularity, much like many greatest hits collections do. What is on this CD is not entirely representative of Ministry's musical talents. I was rather disappointed that hard-hitting songs like "Filth Pig" didn't make it onto this compilation. And for a greatest hits album from a band with so many songs, 13 tracks seems a bit on the short side (though many of the tracks make up for that in length. Ministry is not one for conciseness.)

However, in spite of these shortcomings, there are some great songs on here too. "N.W.O." is probably one of the most well-known Ministry tracks, and it deserves to be on this album. The crunching riffs are too catchy to be ignored. Yet, the track "Lay Lady Lay" provides the more subdued side of Ministry. It's more melodic and trancy. There's a bit of everything on here.

If you're trying to figure out which Ministry album to buy first, it might pay to get this one because it features tracks from several albums. It'll give you a taste of what each one has to offer. But if you're looking for a solid Ministry album to start with, I'd recommend "Filth Pig" or "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing to Taste" before this.

If you're wondering what Ministry is about, then this is the ideal album to pick up. It's got most of their hits, and a few rarities, so it's just barely worth getting even if you have most of these songs already. There's a few songs that are missing, but you can only do so much on one disc, and still include songs from all of the albums between the Land of Rape and Honey and the Dark Side of the Spoon. I would've made a few changes, but the missing tracks shouldn't bother a new fan.

1. What About Us? 4/5
This track was featured on the A.I. soundtrack. It's not one of their best tracks, but it wasn't on any album.

2. Stigmata 5/5
The first entry from The Land of Rape and Honey, and it's excellent. Maybe a little bit repetive, but that's expected with Ministry and it's still very enjoyable.

3. The Land of Rape and Honey 5/5
The the second song from that album and it's another great track. Probably the most electronic song on this album.

4. Thieves 5/5
The first song off of the Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste, and it's great too. It's about lying politicians, and it features a lot of machinery sounds and the usual blasting guitars. Also has some great samples.

5. So What (live) 4/5
This is exclusively on this album, but the original was on The Mind is a Terrible Thing to taste. The production quality on this track is pretty good, but some of the samples are muffled. That said, it's very sample heavy and it's got a good bassline, but it kind of drags after 5 minutes. The album version and the version on their first live album are better.

6. N.W.O. 4/5
Not my favorite song off of Psalm 69, but it is a great song. It's about the first George Bush. The samples used as a percussion are pretty cool. It's a bit too repetitve and a little too long, though.

7. Just One Fix 5/5
Probably the heaviest song on the album, and one of the best songs from Psalm 69.

8. Jesus Built My Hotrod 5/5
This was Ministry's only real hit and it is one of their best songs. It features Gibby Haynes from the Butthole Surfers, and like most of his lyrics it's rather ammusing.

9. Reload 12" 4/5
This is the first selection from Filth Pig and it's slightly extended. I personally think the original length was fine, but it's more incentive to buy this I suppose. Quick, heavy, and to the point.

10. Lay Lady Lay 5/5
Probably the best song on Filth Pig, so it's as good a choice as any to include here. Neat mixture of acoustic guitar and very heavy bass. It has very memorable drumming too. I didn't like Bob Dylan's version, but this one's great.

11. Supermaniac Soul 3/5
This was the lead single from Dark Side of the Spoon and it's probably the weakest track here. I don't know why they included it.

12. Bad Blood 5/5
This song was featured on various compilations including the Matrix soundtrack, and it almost made Ministry popular again. It's a good track and kind of a return to the style on Psalm 69.

13. Supernaut 5/5
Like others I expected this to be the version done with Trent Reznor. I think he did a better job with the vocals than Al, but everything else about this is superior to the Reznor version.

As good as the collection is, it could've been just a little better. Burning Inside would have made a better choice than So What as a representaticve of the Mind, and I think they should've omitted N.W.O for Hero or Psalm 69, but N.W.O. was a hit. I'm also extremely disappointed at the lack of Ministry's Proto-Industrial tracks. I can understand leaving off their first two albums, With Sympathy and 12-Inch Singles, but the third album, Twitch, is my favorite Ministry album. There are plenty of good choices off that album, such as We Believe, All Day, and Over the Shoulder. It was also recorded with Sire, so Warner Brothers did have the rights to include it.

Who should buy this? I would recommend this album especially to newcomers of Ministry and people who buy have to get everything Al and Paul touch. If you have most of their albums, though, it may not be worth getting, and they could have chosen better songs. It's better than bringing all your CDs on a trip, though.