Customer Reviews

Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996-2006 1 (W/Dvd)

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

 

 

...from a man called E!

Companioned with Useless Trinkets: B Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996-2007 (2CD+DVD), this just might be all you would ever need from the Eels first 10 years. All 36 songs are terrific and while I may miss a few favorites, most of them are here and the Eels albums are well represented.
Anyone new to the Eels, this is a good primer.

True fans of the Eels probably have more or all these tracks from the albums, making this not so neccessary. Just get the Rarities album in that case. But for completists, this is a must as it has 12 good quality videos on the companion DVD. So yeah, you might as well just pick this up no matter who you are. ;']

While I have your ear, let me recommend Eels with Strings - Live at Town Hall. It is the best concert video I have seen in a long time and a great companion piece to this Best Of CD.

So what are you waiting for, go pick this up! It truly is Novocaine For The Soul...

If you are new to the Eels, this is a fine introduction. Eels fans may quibble about the best choices for a collection like this, but I like what was chosen here.

If you are a fan of the Eels, you probably have their albums, and thus you have most of the audio tracks here. There are still two reasons why you might want to get it.

1. (lesser reason) It has two audio tracks that were previously unpublished. But of course the companion "Useless Trinkets" collection has 50 B-sides, soundtracks, rarities and unreleased tracks, plus a DVD with six live performances, so that's the one to get for previously unpublished content, if you could only choose one.

2. (bigger reason) The companion DVD in Meet the Eels features 12 music videos (one is a live performance). Some of these videos were previously released on CD singles, but they seem to be higher quality here. It isn't HD or even modern DVD quality (some of these are >10 years old), but they are much better quality than the tiny versions they put on the CD singles.

In particular, the video for "Last Stop: This Town" is a most imaginative and appealing music video; you'll have to see it to believe it. Watch in amazement as a carrot... well, that would be spoiling it.

About my rating: I would give it 4 1/2 stars if it were an option. Anthologies are rarely as good as the complete original albums, but this one offers more in the form of the videos.

Mark Oliver Everett , 'E' , the front man of EELS. This man is the soul of the band. His voice , his energy , his passion and his emotions represent every beautiful track in this collection.

It's not about shakin legs or smiling sweet. It's all about relating to all the rubbish that goes on around you and within your personal life. EELS can bring you down and pull you right up to the top with their music.

This album is a collection of most of my favorite EELS songs, and if you are a first time listener, then this collection is the best way to introduce you to the band.

It's not about winning grammys or making appearences at award shows , its about playing straight from the heart. That's what E does. I recently lost my dad and his single 'It's a mother #$%#$%' makes me cry a tear everytime i play it on my cd system.

Pick it up people, EELS are a fine example of great musicians that hit the right cord in each of their songs.

Enjoy..oh btw..pick up the 'Useless Trinklet's' CD too, it's got plenty of great b-sides and unreleased tracks.

Being 50+ Ive had streachs where I didnt really listen to music like I did in my 20s- I kinda try to get stuff from groups I have heard of but never really listened to at the time- Alice in chains-Stone temple pilots- Concrete Blonde I guess there all kind of in the same time period. But I never really herd of these guys. I think I was watching a movie and liked a song- the C.C. caught the name of the band and song so I bought this. Great stuff I loved the videos- and the music is Great- as far as I can tell this might be the most overlooked rock band of all time. If your looking for some great Rock this should fill your bill.

Mark Everett is an amazing artist who writes lyrics that actually mean something and accompanies them with creative, inspiring music played on everything from the saw to the Wurlitzer organ to the bass guitar. I wish for him commercial success, yet I don't because I hope he continues to hold to his principles to make the music that speaks to him rather than what speaks to the masses and the record companies. This is an outstanding collection of music.

Very rarely would I call a compilation cd a classic, but "Meet The eels: Essential Eels 1996-2006, Vol. 1" is as classic an album as any other "proper" album release that has been deemed a classic. As usual with compilations fans will quibble about songs that were excluded (For me, Mental off the debut album Beautiful Freak is one such song), but since ALL of the 24 songs included are excellent examples of E's superior songwriting genius, for once any criticism really is redundant. Song choices, sequencing, artwork, packaging - it's all extremely well-executed.

E's lyrics are often bittersweet. In 3 Speed he sings: "Life is funny, but not ha-ha funny". Even so, the lyrics are humorous and engaging. Lyric sample from That's Not Really Funny: "Did you think I would laugh, when you said I was small? Did you think that that would pass, as if nothing at all?"

Some of my personal favorites: Your Lucky Day In Hell, My Beloved Monster, Flyswatter, Souljacker Part 1, That's Not Really Funny, Fresh Feeling, (Hey Man) Now you're really Living, The Trouble with Dreams.

This compilation is a very good place to start your Eels collection.

"Useless Trinkets: B-sides, soundtracks, rarities and unreleased 1996-2006" is a nice companion piece, but not as essential as "Meet The Eels: Essential Eels 1996-2006, Vol. 1".

Heard some of the new stuff that the Eels have come up with and bought the End Times CD. Wanted to find out more and this CD with the DVD is just the ticket.

I love this CD. I'd heard the Eels before but didn't realize it. I heard them on the PBS show "Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives" and like the music so I decided to try this best of CD. I love nearly every song. Mr. E's Beautiful Blues, Flyswatter and Trouble With Dreams are my favorites. Good stuff!

Eels are one of my favorite bands, and as with most greatest hits deals, fans can quibble about why this song was left off or this song included. This is a decent collection of the band/man's best work, although I'd recommend playing the disc on shuffle. The songs are sequenced in order of their release so you start with the oldest material and work to the newest. Shuffle allows you to get a better mix of the band's work. After you start with "Meet The Eels" hit the rest of the catalog...it's worth it:)