Customer Reviews

Lovebubble

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

 

 

I agree with the previous reviewer that this CD was underrated and overlooked by critics and fans (including myself) when it was originally released. But 16 years later with a fresh new remastering and with a more historical perspective I find that the album holds its own in the BOL catalog. While some of the better known tracks released as singles departed from the classic BOL formula, you can understand how the band was attempting to adapt to the musical landscape of the 90s. However, there are some real forgotten gems here that could have easily found their place on any of the first three albums. Flower in my Hand, Sound and Vision or Enchanted are unmistakably BOL and had they received Ivan Ivan like remixes they would have been fervently embraced by fans of the early works. The remastering sounds great here on the Noble Rot reissue and the bonus tracks make this a must have CD for all Book of Love fans.

this, their fourth and final cd, is their swansong to their music history. I feel that this album was underrated by the critics and some fans as well. True the album did feel a little disjointed, but I think it was because the whole group was involved with this album, which is usually Ted and Jade. This re issue sounds terrific, and the bonus remixes are a nice touch...alas again the somewhat flimsy "digipack" is not so hot, you have to handle the disc with the utmost care...my advice is to rip this, and the other cds from the BOL collection to your Mp3 player, and hard drive....NO SHARING PLEASE!!!...and keep your cds in mint shape, as well as these "digipacks".....

Wow. Although I subscribe to several alt music magazines and get my weekly EW, I was not aware of these releases until quite recently when BOL sent out an email flyer about their NY gig to promote the reissues. Any re-release is a "good" release in my opinion; it brings awareness to new collecters and music enthusiasts. Not to mention the material is re-mastered; 'loud' isn't always for the better, I don't have to turn the music level on my iPod higher when listening to these newer BOL releases.

I do agree with some reviewers, the packaging could have been better, with a booklet showcasing all of the LP artwork; singles; etcetera; the historical write-up for all four reissues is informative and fantastic though. At least the Amazon track listing is correct for this album. I remember back in-the-day giving up entirely on another BOL album until I walked into my local independent music store and ran straight into a wall-sized poster of the album cover. I felt the album itself was grossly overlooked by reviewers and fans; I thought the mixed potpourri of different, although distinctive, BOL songs were excellent. Seriously, the only song I skip on the album, dare I say, is "Boy Pop"; several songs even had the darker over and undertones of their earlier work, and others like "Trouble In A Bubble" I thought for sure would be a single.

For the fourth BOL album, already running quite long, really got robbed of some fantastic mixes and "rarities"; the later BOL merchandise is still quite easy and cheap to find on CD, although, not mastered. The last two BOL releases, as well as "Lullaby", should also have contained a second, supplement disc of extras. The version of "Hunny Hunny" (Tribal Rock Mix), much like the darker, more playful version of "Alice Everyday" (Sam The Butcher Mix) is sorely missed from this track listing; I believe the "Hunny Hunny" (Radio Remix) was heavily guitared down to be more listener friendly to the moodier music of the day. The CD single should be hunted down for the "Tribal Rock Mix" track alone and the plethora of "Chatterbox" mixes found on it.

Had I been in charge of this reissue and disc compilation, here's what the extended track listing or additional disc listing would have been; maybe an iTunes Playlist:

Disc 2:
01. Hunny Hunny (Radio Remix)
02. Chatterbox Pt.2 (Late Nite Chat Edit)
03. Boy Pop (Extended Radio Mix)
04. Hunny Hunny (Sweet & Sticky Edit)
05. Chatterbox Pt.2 (Translator Mix)
06. Hunny Hunny (Tribal Rock Mix)
07. Boy Pop (... various other mixes)

Extremely excited about these reissues and ANY BOL release.

Book of Love are widely acknowledged as a pioneering force in modern rock/alternative music. Sadly, this album lacks the jocularity and boyancy of BOL's earlier works.

There are a few good tracks here: "Happily Ever After," "Hunny Hunny," "Flower In My Hand" and "Chatterbox Pt.2" are all enjoyable, even if they don't hold a candle to "Alice Everyday" or "Turn The World" from the album "Candy Carol" some two years earlier than this effort. The best songs here both clock in at under a minute and a half: the short-but-sweet ballad "Leap of Faith" and the equally poignant "Woyaya."

This is a so-so album, one I'd only recommend for the previously-committed BOL fan. If you're new to BOL, check out "Candy Carol" and leave this one behind.

Book of Love is one of my favorite bands of all time. They actually wrote incredibly creative lyrics and melodies that make me wonder just what has gone wrong with the current music scene where most acts seem more like overproduced crap. This eighties and nineties band specialized in sometimes dark sounding, sometimes psychedelic synth pop. I think it's great that most of their later lyrics and songs focused on positivity and love, something we all definitely need much more of in this world. But the added bonus is that the songs are incredibly danceable and fun. Though Lovebubble is not quite as cohesive as some of their earlier albums, it is more than worth the cost and effort to obtain this CD and listen. You will be rewarded with beautiful songs such as Happily Ever After, Hunny Hunny, Flower In My Hand and Tambourine. I challenge you to not smile after hearing these. Their version of Bowie's Sound and Vision is also very good. And while some of the rest may be filler, it all goes down quite pleasantly. After all, it's Book of Love.

It should be said, right from the beginning, that this is a good album.

It is only by the standards of Book of Love's first two albums that their last full length release seems not very spectacular. Nonetheless, it is well worth purchasing - the version of Bowie's "Sound and Vision" (original from his album "Low") is one of many highlights.

Don't be put off by seemingly limited avilability, neither. The album is readily able to be purchased from numerous suppliers: mine was shipped internationally within five days.

Fourteen tracks provide ample opportunity for Book of Love to demonstrate why they are an utterly compelling group, and why we are all worse off without them.

Five stars just for having "Flower in My Hand" and "Enchanted" on it, apparently two old, never-released songs from the early days of Book of Love. "Enchanted" is a haunting song which I would love to see made as a music video. I am the person who first put the lyrics up on Metrolyrics (transcribed by ear) but I'm not 100% sure of the first verse. I believe she is singing "white egrets, weary not thereof". Anyone who knows better or has original lyrics please post or get in touch.

This album has been digitally remastered and after hearing it, I think they did a pretty good job. Too bad they couldn't do the same with most of the New Order cd's as the mastering on those was not only poor but taken off some old LP that wasn't even in good playing condition. So back to this album; there weren't as many highlights on this cd as their previous 3 albums but there are some tracks that do stand out like; "Sound and Vision" which is by far, their best effort of the David Bowie remake and I also like "Hunny Hunny", "Trouble in a Bubble" and "Leap of Faith". Many other fans also liked "Boy Pop" and "Chatterbox" but those tracks just didn't do it for me. So, this is why I give this cd 3 stars. The album is good but the packaging is very cheaply done. If the record companies want to go all
"Enivironmental" then why not just make a high-glossy booklet that inserts into a plastic jewel case? This way it doesn't get all dented up, every time you try to store it. Plus the artwork won't fade as easily, when it's protected inside a jewel case. A little common sense can go a long way..

While it's nice to have Book of Love's last full length reissued with some bonus tracks, the problem here is that for anyone who was a fan and collecting Book of Love all along will already have all the bonus tracks, PLUS more on the original CD singles of these songs. The Boy Pop CD single was loaded with deep house mixes, because that was what was popular at Sound Factory in New York City at the time, and Book of Love was being influenced by the weekend experience there with DJ Junior Vasquez (the opening track "Sunday A.M." is a tribute to that experience). The Hunny Hunny/Chatterbox Part 2 CD single also had quite a few more mixes than offered here. I guess the album just wasn't popular enough to warrant a 2-disc edition like their debut album, but that's the only way they could have fit the entire output from this album on CD for those who didn't pick up the CD singles the first time around.

It was rather sad that this final Book of Love CD was released after the hey day of synthpop had come and gone and been swallowed up by techno/rave/house music that prevailed in the 90s. Because their cover of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision" is possibly one of their best synthpop gems ever, and it would have been a treat to have an extended club mix released.

By 1993, seven years after this New York City synthpop quartet released their debut album, the music scene had changed, as had the musical directions of the individual group members. The 1980's infatuation with synthesizers had been steamrolled by the back-to-guitars sounds of grunge, and the group's club beats had given way to the pop melodies and layered vocals of 1991's Candy Carol. Their fourth and final album is a fractured set of songs that range from early dance-ready compositions to moodier, downbeat ballads, and the band's cover of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision." Unlike the group's second album, whose lack of progress can be pinned on touring commitments that sopped up prep time, the lack of energy here is simply the end of a band's inspirational arc. There are some catchy melodies and memorable lyrical riffs, but it sounds emotionally estranged and hasn't the effervescence that marked the band's best work. Noble Rot's reissue adds four remixes to the dozen original tracks; the disc is stuffed inside a three-panel cardboard slip-sleeve (no plastic bed for the disc) with liner notes by Michael Paloetta. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]