Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 12, 2005)
• Original Release Date: July 12, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0009F66J0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,648 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Maintaining strong indie credibility, this platinum-selling Milwaukee bred alt-rock triop has been called the "original unplugged band." The raw power of their no-frills yet highly emotive acoustic sound-plus the lyrical heft of Gordon Gano's songs-made the Femmes postmodern cult heroes with enormous staying power. In his notes to this, their first career-spanning collection, Rolling Stone's David Fricke states, "The Violent Femmes are what rock & roll must have sounded like at the creation." Hear it on 16 classics including "Blister in the Sun," "Add It Up," "Gone Daddy Gone", "Nightmares," and "American Music."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars About as good as it could be., September 12, 2005

By	H3@+h (VT) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There are some who would call their self-titled album their "best of", and while it is a great album, this is a good collection too. The first five tracks here are from that album, and are well chosen. Then a couple from "Hallowed Ground", and a couple from "Blind Leading The Naked". From "3" we get only "Nightmares". I personally love that album and still think it's underrated. Toss on "American Music", "Color Me Once" from "The Crow" soundtrack, and a few more of their later songs and this is a fine overview of the Violent Femmes career. If this also included "Prove My Love" and "World We're Living In" I'd have no complaints. Still, this is most of the best.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars They Still Can't get It Right, April 26, 2006

By	Paul A. Maiorana (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Okay, so they're trying to do a proper "Best of" for the Femmes again, and for the third time (counting one import-only) they still can't get it right. It's so annoying when a band who you really love (they were one of my first concerts) puts together a greatest hits package and_it seems intentionally_omits some of the songs you really enjoy and/or hold to be sacred. On Add It Up, their first GH, they somehow found the space to include an answering machine message and the mediocre rant I Hate the TV, but omitted their cover of Children of the Revolution and the wonderful Nightmares. Now, Permanent Record thankfully restores those two, but only gives us 16 songs to AIU's 21(!!) and drops several significant tracks, including the frat party favorite Dance, MF, Dance, the bouncy Out the Window, and the great politically charged Old Mother Reagan (It's only about a minute and a half long, people, you can't tell me there wasn't room!) in favor of their later, lesser work on New Times and Freak Magnet. The good thing about this version is the inclusion of the extended Gone Daddy Gone/I Just Want to Make Love to You jam that shows the Femmes' roots were in acoustic blues as well as punk the way Jesus Walking on the Water exposed their folkie leanings. Maybe someday we'll get the great Violent Femmes anthology that's just waiting out there to be released, but until then, I guess it's back to iTunes for me.

5.0 out of 5 stars Of course it could be better but it still is great...., March 31, 2009

By	unbridled_id (Berwyn, il United States) - See all my reviews

Ok, a two disc set is really what is in order for this band. I know many feel all you need is the first disc and I disagree. Yes, I remember back in the late 80's being introduced to this band (first album) by a buddies house drinking tom collins' on a warm summer day. First album has a place in my heart like it does for everyone else. The second album by this band is great, just different from the first which is why it was not given the acclaim. Then go through their other albums and as this cd shows they have many very good to great songs. Color me once really is once of the best songs they have ever made in my opinion and that was made a decade after their first album.