Customer Reviews

Hatful of Rain: Best of Del Amitri

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am probably the last guy you'd figure to be a Del Amitri fan, as a 24 year old black dude from brooklyn. I came across them listening to "Always the Last to Know" on American Top 40 a decade ago. As great a band asthey were, the certainly should have had much more success here in America. The songs are all well-written and soulfully sung. As a band, they fall in somewhere between Squeeze and Crowded House, with a bit more emphasis on soul. To list the should've-been-hits on this album would beoverkill, but I will say that "Tell Her This", buried 2/3 of the way in, is quite possibly the most beautiful love song ever written. The other material is no let-down either. if you like quality, well-written, intelligent pop/rock music, please find your local record store and BEG for a copy. You won't be disappointed.

As a retired college DJ and record/cd collector, I've been exposed to just about every band under the sun. You name it, I've heard it. Enter Del Amitri. If I had to pare down my music collection of thousands of records and cds to just one band, Del Amitri would be the last band standing. They are that good.

This best of collection is a great introduction to Del Amitri's brand of american folk rock. It is, however, just that... an introduction. To call 17 songs a "best of" with a band as good as Del Amitri is like kicking 17 deck chairs off the Titanic. In a word... pointless.

Del Amitri is, acoustic guitar bliss, sweetly sarcastic lyrics, soulful harmonies, and a standout lead vocalist that should rightfully be called the Sinatra of folk-blues rock. Take away all my post punk, 70's rock, alternative garage grunge, etc.. Those others are all good, but they're not Del Amitri.

If you have never bought a Del Amitri album before, this is a good one to start with, I suppose. I cannot imagine not having their music in my life, in some way or another--they are the kind of band that sticks with you if you love them. Note however, that the choices the other customer reviewers make as their "favorite" songs from this album are all different. You get the feeling each person is getting something really special out of the songs that they love. At any rate, that is true for me.

Del Amitri moves me. I came upon them oddly. I read a review in a magazine about ten years, maybe more, ago, and went and bought one of their albums just because of that. The guy behind the counter was like..."Aren't they GREAT?" I pretended I was familiar with them and just said "YEAH! ". But you know what? They ARE GREAT. I have continued listening to them and loving them for so long now, they are my "base/inner/soul" band...you know--my favorite.

By the way, my all time top Del Amitri song: "Driving With the Brakes On"--I find it haunting. But that's just me. I am sure you will choose your own, for your own reasons.

Best,

Jean

This CD is an excellent sampling of all the major singles Del Amitri has released in the 1990s. If you are an American pop-radio person, you will likely only recognize "Roll to Me" and have a glimmer of memory on a few other songs here. This should in no way dissuade you from buying this great CD! A European, however, will likely recognize most all of these fine songs in a heartbeat! The songs here are taken from the 1990 album "Waking Hours", 1992 album "Change Everything", 1995 album "Twisted", and 1997 album "Some Other Sucker's Parade". There is also a new single called "Cry to Be Found" which has a notable harmony similar to The Beatles, "Spit In the Rain" which was originally a B-side that became so popular in Europe that it was re-released as a single, and "Don't Come Home Too Soon" which was released as Team Scotland's official song in it's endeavors at the soccer/football World Cup around 1997.

If ever there was a CD I would recommend to someone who is not overly familiar with Del Amitri or who is usually locked in to 'Top 40' music but, would like to expand their horizons into excellent, deserving, lesser known material, then THIS IS IT! Every song on this CD is truly worth the listen. They are well played, catchy, intelligent, and just plain FUN to listen to! Even the few brooding songs here will soon permeate their way into your subconscious and play away over and over. The many upbeat songs will brighten any moment with their flat out likeable-ness and put many smiles on your face. Del Amitri is still very much together and viable and you will soon be hearing more of their material on the radio making you very glad you got yourself well acquainted with them!

Buy this CD soon! You will not regret it for YEARS to come!

I bought the album because I liked "Roll to Me". But I soon realized, like most people, that Del Amitri is not just another one-hit wonder. All their other songs are really good too. I especially like "Not Where It's At", "Nothing Ever Happens" (It's got cool British words.), "Always the Last to Know","Spit in the Rain", and "Some Other Sucker's Parade". Those songs are especially catchy, and I think I'll appreciate the other songs as I listen to them more. There is one thing that troubles me--what the hell does DEL AMITRI mean?

Del Amitri have been my cult band since they started out. I have seldom listened to such sorrowful and sincere music, sheer magic. Be my Downfall will always remain my favourite song. This is a great CD for Del Amitri-beginners, and also useful for having access to Spit in the Rain, one of their greatest B-sides, tinged with folk sounds. Desperate for new material, Dels!

I first discovered del amitri while flipping radio channels, coming across a song that I loved (roll to me) but didn't know the artist. it took me about SIX MONTHS to find the band but once I did I went crazy. Hatful of rain is the first album I bought by the del boys and never would it be the last. this cd stays constantly in my cd player and is always playing if i'm in my bedroom. you'd think i'd be tired of it by now, but this cd is the best i've ever heard. I cannot what for these guys to get together and release another single!I recommend this album for everyone, it's smashing!

I've been a sporadic Del Amitri fan for about ten years now. I like how well their songs are constructed, the obvious care put into their production - harmonies to die for. And they've got great taste in influences, all of which abounds on their 'best of' disc, Hatful of Rain.

The big news, though, is the first cut, Cry To Be Found. This is the only new material on the disc, and it's electrifying. Musically, it's like nothing the Dels have done before. It's silky strings and sexy slow tempo would be appropriate for Marvin Gaye, but here are these pale scotsmen making a masterpiece of blue-eyed soul. Justin Currie's singing has a new sensuality in the falsetto chorus and the verses as well. The lyric is as sophisticated as the sound.

Listen to this disc. All there was to like about Del Amitri for the last ten years is there, along with a new cut that suggests more amazing things to come.

If you like "Roll to Me", you will love this album. Actually, that song is the weakest one on the entire album, despite being their biggest hit. If you can listen to "Be My Downfall Tonight" or "Here and Now" and not be moved, you are a better person than I. Add in some great rockers like "Kiss This Thing Goodbye" (one of the should-have-been-big songs of the decade) and "Stone Cold Sober" and you have the perfect album for driving in your car or sitting on a beach somewhere. Plus, there's the Scottish World Cup song from last 1998, "Don't Come Home Too Soon". Unfortunately, the team didn't take it to heart, but you will after a couple of listens.

I bought this CD because my daughter loves "Roll to Me", and who doesn't? It is a perfectly crafted pop song, ending long before you want it to. The great surprise was, Del Amitri is not a one trick pony! Their songwriting is unfailingly intelligent, and hurray (!) they're into nice melodies. "Cry to be Found", the CD's opening song, is a stunning R & B plea for love that will immediately convince you of this band's versatility, especially if the only Del Amitri song you know is "Roll to Me." A wonderful record.