Customer Reviews

Just Say Mao-Volume III Of Just Say Yes

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Ultimately, any music CD is rated based on the quality of the songs and the artist(s) who perform them. This is regardless whether it is a single artist album or a compilation album.

Just Say Mao was a compilation album released by Warner Bros. Each year they released a different album of the same nature. On the album they featured some of their staple performers and introduced some new performers they were banking on to perform well. The result was always a mixed bag. Some of the groups were already hits and others became hits. Still others were one hit wonders. Finally, some groups and their songs were huge duds that no one wanted to ever hear from again.

Just Say Mao had a dance mix version of Depeche Mode's "Everything Counts". It's not one of the best versions of this song, but it is a laudable starting place for the CD.

"In a Manner of Speaking" by Martin Gore (of Depeche Mode) is a really great treat since we don't often hear from him in solo mode.

"Accidentally 42nd Street (Gloria)" by Figures on a Beach is not only danceable, but catchy enough that you want to hear more from this group. Unfortunately, they didn't last long. Their music was more 80's than 90's and they had the misfortune to launch themselves to the world as it moved from 80's new wave to grunge.

"Thrash" by Underworld is just awesome! It is dark and pounding and brings forth visions of late night dancing at risque night clubs. (I've purchased albums by this group and all their music has this rich "dark" undertone to it. Love em!

"Pistol" by Erasure is not one of their best efforts but is much better than some of the other fare on this album.

"Between Something and Nothing" by Ocean Blue is really poetic and habit forming. I've bought all their albums and I've been very pleased with the music they make.

The rest of the songs on the album range from "sorely lacking" to "mediocre". Lou Reed tries out something new. Throwing Muses gives us more of the same. Ofra Haza further shows us that her music really just doesn't work in the U.S. Ice-T demonstrates why he was smart to go into acting.

However, since more than half of the songs on this compilation are more than just good, it is a hit in my book.

I highly recommend!

This is the best cd of the series with songs that have been out of print for a while. Try and find Figures on a Beach anywhere.

This has a live version of Strawman from Lou Reed at the St. James Theatre.

Just Say Mao is a cool CD, offering a diverse mix of bands and musical styles, from synth-pop to hip-hop. I ended up enjoying most of it, some songs more than others...

My favorites include: "Everything Counts" (Remix) by DM is so-so, but "In A Manner Of Speaking" by Martin Gore is awesome!/"Accidentally 4th Street (Gloria)" by Figures On A Beach is a surprise gem./"Pistol" by Erasure is decent./"Insha-Allah" by NASA/"Thrash" by Underworld/"Between Something And Nothing" by The Ocean Blue is melodic and catchy.

If there were half ratings I would give this a 3 and a half, which isn't bad at all. There are several other CD's available in the "Just Say" series as well.