Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wasn't expecting to like "every single song." I don't own any of Simply Red's previous albums, so I said "Why take a gamble- get a compilation album." And dumb luck has it that I made the right choice. I thought that only my parents liked "Holding Back The Years." The fact that Simply Red had talent, along with the question of "how can white guys be suave without being cheesy?" caught me up in a standoff. But with timeless pop classics, which have embraced mainstream radio, like "Holding Back The Years," "Money's Too Tight," "It's Only Love," "You Got It," "If You Don't Know," "Stars," and "Something Got Me Started," this album couldn't get much better. One minor setback however- "Life" came out in '95, right? Well... then where is "So Many People"? That's my only problem with this album. But anybody who likes really good pop/R&B should pick this up.

Unfortunately, Simply Red only had a couple of hits in America, namely "Holding Back The Years", "Money's Too Tight To Mention" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now." However, as this fantastic compilation attests, they are much more than just three hits. This greatest hits package has everything a casual fan would want. At 15 tracks it's well worth the money. Plus, no one can sing like Hucknall can. Pure white soul, and great music that already sounds classic. This is a must have for any rock collector.

"Simply Red" is one of those bands I never thought too much about, until I picked this up. I didn't expect to know much besides "Holding Back The Years" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now", but was suprised at the amount of other hits, and great music in general. Other well known songs include "Money's Too Tight (to mention)", "Right Thing", "A New Flame", and the superb "Stars". Other favorites of mine are "Something Got Me Started" and "For Your Babies". There's also "The Essentials" best of, but this disc is much better than that. Basically, this is really just filled front to back with great pop/soul songs. It's well worth it even for just the two big hits, and should be in any music lovers collection.

Big enough in the US while huge in the UK, this collection showcases (as correctly pointed out in the All Music Guide's review) the huge disparity between European and American pop music.

Teeming with intelligent, well crafted pop songs and tinged with R&B influences; a fairly comprehensive collection of Simply Red's better work. The songs just flow into each other, from the early soulful "Money's Too Tight To Mention" to the poppy "The Right Thing" to my personal favorite "A New Flame" to the perfect songs off "Stars" (their strongest release, in my opinion) including the glorious "Your Mirror".

The two songs off "Life" provide a nice constrast, Mick's sarcasm reigns on "So Beautiful" and shifts gears on the simple grooves of "Fairground". I'm not a fan really of the only new track "Angel" but it's a small price to pay for an otherwise nearly perfect record.

"Holding back the years" is a beautiful soulful sound of a young man losing his innocence when he finds the older woman of his young boy's heart involved with another, which works extraordinary well with the singer's clear and high pitch melodic sound that is beautiful yet in pain and the music itself truly matches the power of the voice and the words. This song and "Money Too Tight to Mention" dominate the CD. "Money too tight" is a powerful song with a jumping beat about the econimic turmoil during "Reganomics" and it's so dynamic that I can hear it over and over again. I love the lyrics and virtual shouting of "money" that suddenly transcends to a soulful beat towards the end with the lyrics "Did the earth move for you Nancy?" that seemingly moves from one song to another within the same set with that great beat. These songs just dominate the CD that although there are some very good songs, I havbe a tendency to flip back to these two. Half the songs I would say are very good others remind me of Art Garfunkle's more classic and lyrical sound since the lead is so talented. But the first two from their first album drive the CD to a 5 star rating.

I've waited until now to review it since I last heard it in 1996. First time I heard Simply Red, it was about a minute of Money's Too Tight to Mention on the Rate-A-Record segment on Dick Clark's TV show American Bandstand in the fall of 1985. Nobody paid attention at the time when their album came out. But it took the walking on the beach feel of Holding Back the Years for people to jump on this band quickly in early 1986, and they just exploded, gold and platinum album sales and hits left and right! Mick Hucknall's soulful singing is and still is wonderful today! He is that good in clashing R&B and pop sounds within his band. And I still love his wonderful remake of Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes' If You Don't Know Me By Now from 1989. But they weren't all about remakes; their original songs are great, especially 1992's Stars (which I still hear today), 1989's It's Only Love, some songs from their 1987 album, Fairground. The band sounds rhythmic and dynamic in the performances, a full, live sound in their songs. I recommend anybody to get this album, for Simply Red proved their thing in the '80s and early '90s. They're still performing today, 20 years later after their debut! Talking about this greatest hits brings things full circle now!

This CD is as solid as they come. If you have from a distance liked the odd Simply Red song on the radio, and don't own any of their albums, then this is the one to have. Solid songs, great sound and excellent value. Even though I don't listen to this cd on a daily basis, when I do put it on it's from start to finish.

As a singer I Love this guy, "Holding Back The Years" an all-time
Classic! Mick is the vocal brother of my other all-time fav
Daryl Hall. Two of the BEST EVER!

I heard a lot of these songs at my place of employment over the satellite feed. I just realized that frontman Mick Hucknall has a voice like Jefferson Airplane/Starship's Marty Balin. IF YOU DON'T KNOW ME BY NOW is an excellent cover that was made famous by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes in 1972. HOLDING BACK THE YEARS is somewhat jazzy(I heard it before on jazz stations). MONEY'S TOO TIGHT TO MENTION is awesome. STARS is pretty cool also. When I first heard FOR YOUR BABIES,I thought it was Balin singing. That's why I said he and Hucknall are soundalikes. The other songs are great!

Most people know Simply Red for their #1 ballads, "Holding Back the Years" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now." However, as this CD shows, they are so much more than that. Every one of their albums has many instances of fantastic white boy soul. Some of the most achingly beautiful songs ever are found here, such as "Stars," "For Your Babies" and "So Beautiful." Add to that an amazing cover of Aretha Franklin's "Angel" and you have a one stop shop for soul greatness. If you liked Simply Red's hits, you'll like this.