Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Compilation of Gin Blossoms, April 23, 2004
The Gin Blossoms always have been (in my opinion) unfairly critisized as being "grunge-lite" or "rock-lite". Whatever your opinion on the Gin Blossoms, one cannot deny that they did manage to write a handful (and more) super-catchy tunes. While it may seem strange to have a "best of" for a band that managed only 2 full albums, this in fact is a strength."Outside Looking In: The Best of Gin Blossoms" (15 tracks, 53 min.) includes all 7 songs that were a radio hit, some bigger than others: "Follow You Down", "Hey Jealousy", "Until I Fall Away", "Allison Road", "Mrs. Rita", "Found Out About You" and, appearing for the first time on a Gin Blossom alsbum, "Till I Hear it From You" (from the "Empire Records" soundtrack). Not a single "minor hit" is overlooked or missing. The other tracks give the best remaining tracks from their 2 albums, as well as a great (and previously unissued) live version of "Whitewash" from a 1996 concert in Pittsburgh. The death of guitarist Doug Hopkins obviously was tragic, and his contributions are to be recognized, but in my opinion they were overblown. Only 2 ("Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You" of the 7 "hits" were written by Hopkins, so clearly there were other talented writers in the band. In the end, this is an excellent "best of" for the many out there (like myself) who do not have either of the Gin Blossoms' albums, and instead wanted to get all the best known songs on a single album.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Roots-Rock Band's Bittersweet Mid-90s Caught In Hits Set, January 28, 2001
The Gin Blossoms were a group you hoped would have lasted longer. The Arizona band's guitar-driven alt-rock learned the right lessons from the 60s and 90s, recalling clearer, cleaner versions of early REM as well as the British Invasion (lead singer Robin Wilson's high, yearning vocals recalled a Southwestern take on the Hollies' Allen Clarke. The group actually played on a Hollies tribute LP). Heard in films like "Empire Records," or atop TV's "Grace Under Fire," the Blossoms seemed to typify a new roots-rock style that played and sold well against the era's underproduced grunge and rap styles. "Outside Looking In," the group's hits set (title taken from the hit "'Till I Hear It From You"), proves their time was memorable, if brief. In an essay accompanying the LP, Blossoms bassist Bill Leen is quoted telling an Internet interviewer that "If we keep writing good songs and we don't go bald, we should be fine." The songs were, with producer John Hampton melding hard-rock and Beatle jangle on the fierce "Hey Jealousy" and "Day Job," "Found Out About You" (with its haunting chorus and guitarist Doug Hopkins' Peter Buck-ish intro), "Just South of Nowhere" (which recalled the Fabs' "Dr. Robert") and the gentle "Until I Fall Away." Sadly, the group got no chance to age. The Gin Blossoms' 1994-96 hits were catchy and fast, but Hopkins' lyrics showed a touch of fatalism (which Wilson caught singing lines like "We could drive around this town/Let the cops chase us around."). That showed true when Hopkins was released from the band after its recording a second album, then died as his songs flooded the airwaves. The usual indignities followed: the band was dropped by A&M after its merger with Universal Music, splintered into three Phoenix-based groups (they would reunite for a one-off New Year's Eve show), then have this collection released without its input or blessing. "Congratulations, I'm Sorry" became the title of their second album and the band's epitaph. The collection is missing a few B-sides and curios (the group's take on KISS' hilarious "Christine Sixteen" had a built-in humor the Blossoms' studio music rarely showed; its cover of "Soul Deep" repayed debts to Alex Chilton's Box Tops and the influential Big Star). But "Outside Looking In" remains a value-added, recommeded group intro, a timepiece for 90s music and, unfortunately, the 90s music business.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good music in its purest form., April 6, 2000
It's hard to believe that I would be buying a best hits cd of a band who only lived to release 3 albums. Gin Blossoms was a magnificent representation of musical creativity at its peak. Some of their spirit lives on through Robin Wilson's new group, Gas Giants. But nothing is quite like the songs he wrote that are all included on this cd. If you forgot what really good music sounds like, what with all the Puff Daddy remixes, Korn fads, and Limp Bizkit rock/rap. Get this cd and you will have faith in rock and roll music once again.
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