Customer Reviews

Life in the Gladhouse 80-84: Best Of Modern English

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

 

 

Modern English are certainly deserving of a decent Best Of, but this one featuring songs from their 4AD years is just one big question mark. The darker, harsher debut MESH AND LACE gets far too much coverage here and their best two albums -- AFTER THE SNOW and RICOCHET DAYS -- are weakly represented. For starters, why on earth someone would omit "Someone's Calling" and "Hands Across the Sea" is absolutely beyond me -- two of their quintessential songs. I almost get the impression that this one was compiled by a fan of their earlier "goth" sound who almost begrudgingly (and smugly?) includes the smash "I Melt With You", sandwiched inappropriately between MESH AND LACE material.

It would be nice to see material from STOP START ("Ink and Paper" was a great song) and possibly even PILLOW LIPS included in a truly comprehensive compilation, because this one widely misses the mark by purporting to be a "Best Of".

This is a Best Of compilation which is quite different. The people who made this compilation (for better or worse) decided to leave out many of the singles that were actually released by Modern English and did actually get some decent airplay. This CD, is not about playing all of the songs everyone knows - since most people aren't familiar with Modern English anyway. This CD is about telling the story about one of the most underated bands of all time. Yes, After The Snow is definitely a better album. And I really do wish they might have included some of their later singles, and not just included album cuts from the later albums, but the music none-the-less is excellent. It includes some of their earlier, dark post-punk experimental rock music, which is ultra hard to find. It has the most popular songs from Mesh & Lace, as well as some of the better stuff from After The Snow, including the classic anthem, "I Melt With You". It also features many excellent songs from the underrated Ricochet Days album. The CD liner notes includes a history of the band as well as an intervue with two of the band members. If you love post-punk or new wave music, you will love this album. The bassist is as good as Peter Hook, the synths are phenomenal, the melodies and harmonies and lyrics are all excellent as well. If you like the Cure, New Order, Joy Division or similar music, definitely check this album out!

Modern English have always been much more than just "I Melt With You". In fact I would put several of these songs on this disc up against it. Will people who simply know them through Valley Girl be put off by the darker more experimental songs like "Gathering Dust" or "Sixteen Days"? Quite possibly, but then they'd really be missing the point of what Modern English were trying to get across. I agree songs like "Someone's Calling" or "Hands Across the Sea" should have been included, but overall I think this compilation really represents what Modern English were about, and really gets at the sound they were trying to convey. It's also a bonus that they didn't include material from any of the albums after Ricochet Days. The lineup had changed and they lost their direction, though having just seen them live, they seem to be back on track and the new material played was quite good, albeit with only 2 original members.

Notorious for the single "I Melt with You", Modern English produce a dark brand of pop that is also dark. Like the other reviews claim, this is one of the most highly under-rated bands. If you like Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Dada Pogrom or Gary Numan then you will enjoy this album. There is a lot of similarity with The High Dials in a strange but curious way. The melodies with get you up on the dance floor. Listen and see.

Where is 'Ink and Paper' and 'Hands Across the Sea'. They were both videos from the MTV days. Still waiting for a Greatest hits with songs from Stop Start. Or better yet re-release Stop Start. Songs represented are darker than you would expect from Modern English.

I AM SO FRUSTRATED WHEN I BOUGHT AND LISTENED TO THIS CD! I THOUGHT ALL THE BEAT IN EACH TRACK WILL BE SIMILAR TO THE BEAT OF "MELT WITH YOU". I TELL YOU IT'S NOT. PLEASE DONT BUY THIS CD! THIS IS A BIG RIFF OFF!