Customer Reviews

Like the Deserts Miss the Rain

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have always been puzzled by the record industry's approach to compilations. They study their ledger sheets, choose the biggest sellers of the last five or ten years, throw in an odd new track here and there and call it somebody's "Greatest Hits". Aren't those the songs everyone already bought? Isn't that why they are the biggest sellers? Why not give us a chance to listen to the works that were overlooked instead?

With "Like the Deserts Miss the Rain" Everything But the Girl has done just that. Sure, "Missing" their biggest selling single is here, but more because of its significance in their musical development than because of its sales history. It happened that way because all the tracks on this album were hand picked by the artists themselves with the criteria being a sense of achievement each track represents to them.

Few artists have explored the range of musical styles as this band. From the early jazz-flavored folksy songs to the robust tempos of the recent electronic club music, it is the things the have remained constant that make this album stand out; brilliantly composed melodies, sincere lyrics, and fantastic vocals.

Tracey Thorn's voice can evoke more emotion and meaning in 8 notes than many manage to put forth in an entire song! She also manages to pen a lyric with a wit worthy of Dorothy Parker, and that combination makes for very enjoyable and stimulating listening. She found her perfect compliment in Ben Watt just as Lennon found in McCartney, or Richard Rogers found in Lorenz Hart. The products of their collaboration are in keeping with their time, yet have a timeless quality.

Stand out tracks include "My Head is My Only House Unless It Rains", a rarely heard and magnificent cover of the Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band song, the independent anthem "Mine", and "Protection", a collaboration with Massive Attack which marked a shift in musical direction for the pair. This US release includes four bonus tracks on a second disc so don't cheat yourself by getting the import. This is an album you'll come back to again and again and it will always sound fresh.

Fans of EBTG are no doubt anxiously awaiting the follow-up to "Temperamental" (I know I am) but in the meantime this is a splendid dose of the duo's folk-influenced techno pop. There is something here for every fan - and enough great stuff to launch a generation of new fans - from earlier acoustic tunes that feature a somewhat rougher-sounding Tracey to recent club hits like the Todd Terry "Missing" remix and the sensual samba beats of "Corcovado." In my view, no one on the electronica scene comes close to matching the beauty and emotion of Tracey's voice. I could quite simply listen to her for hours. The bonus CD contains some tracks I'd never heard before, so even if you own every disc EBTG has put out, this is still a must-have collection. Now if we could only convince Ben to get back in the studio!

This collection compellingly illustrates two truths about Ben Watt & Tracey Thorn. First, they are among the most successful genre-hoppers in modern music - moving from jazz (1984) to big band (1986) to pop/jazz (1988-1991) to folk-rock (1992 - 1994), to techno/house (1996-2002). Second, they are incredibly good songwriters (and interpreters) - producing sturdy, heartfelt songs that (even 10-20 years on) never seem "dated" and hold up well with all the genre-mixing.

Unless you're an EBTG completist (and have all these songs already), "Like the Deserts Miss the Rain" will introduce you to some rare gems that often showed up as B-sides, yielding a good balance of acoustic numbers and their techno dance tunes. Since Ben and Tracey are such consistent songwriters, you'll likely find (as I did) that many of these songs could have been hits of their own.

On the acoustic front, the most valuable tracks here are the playful "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains"(a cover of the 1972 Captain Beefheart song) and the poignant, Thorn-penned "A Piece Of My Mind". Both are B-sides from the wonderful 1993 EP "I Didn't Know I Was Looking for Love", a song recorded for 1993's "Home Movies" compilation. Both the "I Didn't Know...." and "The Only Living Boy In New York" EP each featured 3 stellar bonus tracks, mostly in the acoustic vein of their 1992 "Acoustic" album. In fact, these songs remind me that EBTG are at their best when Tracey's voice is allowed to soar with minimal distractions. Other acoustic highlights here are ETBG's late night jazz cover of Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue", 1986's "Cross My Heart" (a highlight of the "Baby the Stars Shine Bright" disc), and "Rollercoaster", the lead single from their "Amplified Heart" masterpiece CD.

The techno tunes included here prove that dance music can feature great songwriting. 1996's "Mirrorball" is a perfect marriage of evocative lyrics and electronic melody. "Corvacado" (a B-side to Walking Wounded) is an inventive, techno-laced cover of the old bassa-nova chestnut, while "Tracey In My Room" remixes their 1996 single "Wrong", adding a hard-driving bass that essentially reinvents the whole song.

"Like the Deserts Miss the Rain" serves equally well as an introduction to EBTG for the uninitiated and a deeper dive for long-time fans. Given the quality (and rarity) of the songs offered up here, this is a "rarities" collection that's well worth the money.

EBTG fans -- you'll probably buy this regardless of what anyone says like I did. I even ordered it off of Amazon.co.uk! But it's a nice mix of their greatest hits that have already come out, so if you have all their CDs it may not be the best thing for you to buy as you'd essentially have this CD already. That said, the creative choice and editing and placement offer an interesting lookback that this band of 20 years has on itself. A nice mellow later at night CD.

This greatest hits compilation by Ebtg is sooo, sooo great. The musicality is masterful, the voice of lead singer, Tracey Thorn reaches to the depths of my being and moves my heart so much. I really love and appreciate this group and I wish that they would do some more work in the very near future. If you love Swing Out Sister, Matt Bianco, Basia or any music that is beautiful, I highly recommend this CD and guarantee that you will love it. "I Cross My Heart and Hope to Die." Buy it!!!

If you have most/all of the EBTG albums,...you are buying this CD for just 2 songs (Tracks 1 & 15) and 3 remixes. But for me, Tracks 1 and 15 are worth it since I miss the original sound of EBTG and these two tracks are representative of those "Early Days". The Before Today remix is also quite good...and so is the Tracey in my room mix. What I do like about this CD (even if I have all of the material already on separate CDs, except the tracks mentioned) is that the selection of songs are really DEFINITIVE. It represents the EBTG I grew up with and loved all these years. Tracks like Mine, Mirrorball, Rollercoaster, Each and Everyone, and No Difference are all my favorites. Great job on the track selection!

First - I love EBTG and almost everything they've done. From "when all's well" back in the 80's straight through to the most recent stuff. This album is a great mix of styles and I think everything works - including the remixes some have complained about. My only complaint is "Almost Blue". Tracey is my favorite vocalist (such a pure voice) and I loved her earlier cover of Elvis's "Allison" on Acoustic. So I was really excited to hear her version of his "Almost Blue". I almost drove off the road listening to it - it's not good. Her normally smooth delivery is traded in for a bad lounge act impersonation. Yikes!

All in all, a very small complaint on a great album from a fantastic group.

Everything But The Girl.....Most widely-known for their 1994 hit ''Missing'' and Thorn's collaborations with Massive Attack on the track ''Protection''-- a song that was well received at the Brit Awards during that time.

Foremost...Tracy Thorn's voice has so much technique to it-- and here it shimmers perfectly along with Ben Watt's admirable studio work. I also can't relate to those reviewers who complain about the remixes--- because one of the best things about this band is the remixes they've received from several worldwide Producers/Dj's such as Chicane, Omni Trio, Todd Terry, Deep Dish, Peter Rauhofer (Club 69), Hex Hector, Mac Quayle, Ralphi Rosario...etc.

I really hope that EBTG comes out with a new album soon, Because I've been waiting impatiently for quite a while now...Nevethless, this is a great compilation but there's allot missing here--- for instance the amazing ''Better Things'', ''Walking Wounded (Omni Trio Remix)'', even though ''Tracey In My Room''...is included I would have liked to have seen the original version of ''Wrong'' here.

But don't let that deter you from getting this, because there are great songs on here like; Protection, Tracey In My Room, Corcovado, Single, Missing.

Overall, a good collection that will surely please many fans or new-listeners.

If there's a thing called 'friendly voice' then Tracey Thorn has it . As Everything But The Girl , she and Ben Watt have released a number of great songs over the years with 1996's "Missing" being their most succesful moment yet and at the same time one of the most touching , heartfelt club hits ever . On " Like The Desert Miss The Rain " , their recent best of complication one can find stuff from every kind of music they've ever tried , from bossa-nova melodies ( "Each And Everyone" , " Corvocado " ) to electro-pop tunes ( " Single " , " Wrong " ) yet it's at their folk-acoustic efforts where they sound more comfortable . " My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains " and " Rollercoster " are simply superb and come first among equals .

I have to disagree with the reviewer above. I wouldn't call myself an Obsessed EBTG fan, but Tracey's voice does make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
Having said that, I already have all of the EBTG albums and even when the repeat tracks from established CD's (nee Acoustic and Like Deserts miss the rain) I buy them for the new version, the rework, the spin that can be put on the same song with rearrangements.
The classics are the classics not because they are forever played the same way over the decades, but because the songs have enough merit on their own that they can be rearranged and reworked to sound different, better, more interesting.
I also love the fact that they didn't want the record company to just slam out a "greatest Hits" collection, they chose to choose each track and the order etc., a bit like having them play a concert in your living room.
Buy it.....You won't regret it.