Customer Reviews

By Request

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Boyzone, the more mature and sophisticated of the boy bands around today, offer a collection of their hit singles piled together on this one CD. With the exception of the simplisticly dull "So Good", every track on this album is soothing, melodic and relaxing - guaranteed to put you in a cheerful mood.

The band's early singles, such as "Coming Home Now" and "Key To My Life" have that early 90's sound to it - innocent and fresh. Old covers such as the Beegees' "Words", the Osmonds' "Love Me For a Reason" and Cat Stevens' "Father & Son" will bring back pleasant memories for those old enough to have remember the 70's.

Years went by and BZ evolved with time. "A Different Beat" sounds like nothing you've ever heard before..mature, fun and original. "Isn't It a Wonder" is one of the most romantic songs you'll ever hear. "All That I Need" sounds a bit like Savage Garden but Ronan's tenor voice does it MUCH justice. "Picture of You", another one of BZ's trademark songs, is up-tempo and VERY bouncy and fun.

Soaring ballads like "I Love the Way You Love Me", "You Needed Me", "Baby Can I Hold You" and "All the Time in the World" don't sound original in the slightest (most of them are cover versions anyway), but BZ pull them off with flying colors. "When You Say Nothing At All", lead singer Ronan Keating's first solo effort, is straight in from the 'Notting Hill' soundtrack. Like the movie, it's a must-hear for all those in love.

I'll conclude with "No Matter What". Written and composed by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, there's very little chance you won't become addicted to it. Most chances are this is the song that introduced you to Boyzone in the first place. This song opened new doors for the band and introduced them to a brand new audience. You're welcome to join in!

I have liked Boyzone since I first heard "No Matter What" on the radio and saw them on the Rosie Show. But I recently became a bigger fan through a friend of mine from England, where these guys are huge. First, I got their CD "Where We Belong" and I loved it. I wanted to hear more of their stuff so I got "By Request" imported. It's one of those rare CD's where you love every song from the first time you hear it. I am a huge fan of pop music and boy bands here in the US. But this music is actually alot more mature sounding than what I usually listen to. These guys, especially Ronan Keating, have the most amazing voices. And their songs are so sweet. Some of my faves on here are "I Love The Way You Love Me," "Words," "Father and Son," "When You Say Nothing At All," and of course "No Matter What." There is a good variety of styles, from the sweet love songs to the upbeat tunes. It amazes me that Boyzone did not become popular in the US yet! We're really missing out! You should definitely checkout this CD and find out more about this amazing group.

If you only buy one album this year, let this be it. Boyzone is simply amazing. Unlike other boy bands, their music appeals to every age group. I wish they were more popular here. Most cds have only a few songs that I really like, but I can listen to their songs over and over and never get tired of hearing them.

Pardon the pathetic play on words (that's from Where We Belong, a fab Boyzone album).

Anyway, before this CD I thought Boyzone was just one of those trashy boybands. Then I heard "No Matter What" while watching Andrew Lloyd Webber's birthday concert. Now that's one SPECTACULAR song. I was hooked, and when this album came out, I dashed down to get my hands on it.

This CD, featuring all of Boyzone's singles, plus Ronan Keating's hit single, When You Say Nothing At All, is a must have for all Boyzone fans, and a perfect introduction to all who haven't heard of this great group.

Every single song is terrific. Memorable. Nice. Wonderful. And No Matter What, Picture of You, You Needed Me, Love Me For A Reason, Key to My Life, Father and Son (Hey i'm starting to name all the songs..) are especially good. Get it now. And get "Everyday I Love You", their latest hit too!

I think the this is Boyzones best CD ever I would recomend this CD to anyone. I think that they are a step above groups like Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and all the rest. These guy's are just great!

BOYZONE ARE ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED "BOY BANDS" AROUND,ALTHOUGH I WOULDN'T CALL THEM A BOY BAND.THEY ARE WAY BEYOND THE STEROTYPES OF THE OTHER BOY BANDS.WITH THIER SOULFUL VOICES AND GREAT SONGS THIS CD IS REALLY WORTH ALL OF THE HYPE THAT IT HAS RECIEVED.I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS CD TO ANYONE. IT IS GREAT.

Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham together made up Boyzone. Although UK singles charts of the nineties (and since) are much less important than charts from earlier decades (because of the dwindling singles market), Boyzone had an impressive run in the singles charts (every track here made the UK top four - seven made number one and six others made number two) while they were together and they also sold over ten million albums (including this one to me) - so their appeal stretched far beyond singles buyers. I suppose their style of music would best be described as soft rock.

Their hits were a mix of originals and covers, the latter coming from a wide range of sources. The covers include Love me for a reason (Osmonds), Father and son (Cat Stevens), Words (Bee Gees), Baby can I hold you (Tracy Chapman), When the going gets tough (Billy Ocean) and You needed me (Anne Murray). When you say nothing at all (originally recorded by country singer Keith Whitley but made more famous by bluegrass singer Alison Krauss) is actually a Ronan Keating solo track. The opening track, I love the way you love me, also began as a country song, being co-written by Victoria Shaw who has written songs for Garth Brooks among others. The members of Boyzone wrote some of their own songs including Picture of you, Isn't it a wonder, A different beat, So good, Coming home now and Key to my life.

At around the time this compilation was originally released, Ronan Keating went solo and the group disbanded. Ronan has been very successful as a solo singer and his solo greatest hits album (which also includes When you say nothing at all) was a big seller in the UK when released in time for Christmas 2004. The music on this compilation is the best of what he and the others did before he went solo.

To classify Boyzone as a "boy band" would be a crime. Even though the name of their group is bubblegum their music is mature and absolutely fabulous. Stephen Gately and Ronan Keating have beautiful voices and when they are together in songs like "No Matter What" the song becomes an experience for the listener. My favorite song is "A Different Beat" because it's like no other song I've ever heard and the melody is just breath taking. The thing that separates Boyzone from all other boy bands is the wonderful voice talents, great song writing and extraordinarily well composed music. Never before have I heard a group put to use the sound of pianos and violins so beautifully. The group does have some teenybopper songs on this album but the majority is very adult music that can only be described as masterpieces.

I really like Boyzone's new album, By Request. It has all my favorites and a few new ones, too. Including Ronan's first single "When You Say Nothing At All". I thought it was really well done, too. I first fell in love with Boyzone when I saw them in the Andrew Lloyd Webber 50th Anniversery Celebration video (which I enjoy a lot, too) singing "No Matter What". It became my favorite Boyzone song. It really touches my heart. Not to mention it sounds great! In fact, this whole CD is Par Excellence! =)

Have you ever bought an album where there were no bad cuts? Such is the case with this terrific career retrospective of Boyzone. It is far beyond me why this group hasn't made it in the US. Every song on this greatest hits compilation has the potential to be a top ten record in America. If you do not buy this CD, you are missing out!