Customer Reviews

Queer (Original US Version with alternate mixes and 2 bonus tracks) - 15 track CD

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For obsessive types heres a quick note.You need the import copy of this,the one that doesn't start with "A girl like you".The
US version deletes some of the great samples (Velvet Underground,
Being There,etc) on the import disk. when I DJ'd in the early nineties,this disc and the remix 12" of "sucker" and "mama told me not to come were" just HUGE favorites.Get "Bird Wood Cage" as well,these guys are up there with Felt as a Great Unknown Band!!!

This is one of my favorite all time CDs. It needs to be listened to with headphones to truely appreciate the production that went into this CD. There is a new squelch, new beat, new melody every time I listen to it. Complex, intellectually dense, melodically difficult, but EXTREMELY catchy, funky, poppy. Maintains an incredible quality throughout a long album. The US version starts off with "A Girl Like You" and each song is distinct, but within the same framework. This is a band at it's height, riding a wave of creativity. I can't say enough good things about this CD. Incredibly weird, but incredibly REAL, if that makes sense. It's not off trying to be futuristic or psuedofunk or anything, it's just a wonderful combination of production, songwriting, sampling, and performance. And the graphic design is great, to top it off!

Like most great music, it is very hard to describe what makes it great. But I will try.

The Wolfgang Press (sadly no longer together) had been slogging out records since the mid '80s. They were good, some very good. Then they created.... this. Queer has little in common with their previous work. It mixes biting, sometimes cynical lyrics with an interesting blend of dance-style music replete with Motown touches and the occasional noise flourish.

Rhythmic, melodic, intense, original - and complete with a Randy Newman cover, this record deserved a wider audience than it ever received. If you enjoy truly original work - not following the dictums of any particular genre, performed perfectly and passionately, you may think this record is as great as I do.

Here is a CD that made me stop listening to Top 40 music altogether. This CD contains great little ditties like "A Girl Like You" and "Louis XIV". This CD is hard to find but well worth it. "Raintime" - a song from their album "The Birdwood Cage", is simply amazing - get that one too.

I own the UK Import, and as such, I've never heard "A Girl Like You." But thankfully, my version has the samples that another reviewer noted :D

This album and I go back a bit. About a year ago, a teacher recommended this album. Generally, he had pretty good taste in tunes (Specials, Violent Femmes, Peter Murphy, etc). However, the fact that this was an early 90s effort made me suspicious. As such, I didn't actually check out the album until I found it for cheap a local store.

As I expected, this album is a product of its time. This kind of album could only have been produced in the period of 1988-1992. The house rhythms that pervade this upbeat album are quaint now but they seemed to be the norm back then. I tend to find these beats cliche, but they are rather pleasing in the context of the album.

The lyrics themselves are fleeting and unimportant within this bouncy collage of beats, samples and the band's very cool and aloof vocalist. Samples include Kraftwerk and the Velvet Underground, for instance. The vocals are reminiscent of, say, Nick Cave or Scott Walker, only less instense and more apathetic (but in a good way!).

Overall, if you like relaxed house music, this album is a must. If you like the Happy Mondays but find their guitars obtrusive, this album is for you.