Customer Reviews

Rhythm of Youth

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

 

 

The selection on this compilation improves on the American best-of collection by including the rare 'Freeways' (one of their best ever, a pulsing, driving song) and the rocky 'Sideways' (the title track of their underrated 1991 'guitar' album). The brilliant hooks, playful melodies, and thoughtful lyrics make this a terrific record and underscore just what a good band this was.

If you are into synth-pop of the eighties, you’ll get a thrill out of the extended mix version of “The Safety Dance” on this album. Most people identify Men Without Hats with this song, and rightly so, as it was their first hit single, from the album “Rhythm of Youth”.

Fans of this Canadian pop band will also fondly recall songs like “I Got the Message”; “Antarctica” and “Pop Goes the World”, their second hit single. The distinctive vocals of Ivan Doroschuk sound as good today as it did then, and the catchy beats and hooks can still make you want to hit the dance floor.

Sure, the lyrics won’t win any awards, but this album rates high on the fun meter.


Amanda Richards, March 18, 2006

Very nice CD. Tough CD to find Amazon and Ebay about it. Amazon has the best price I could find. Thanks Amazon.

As far as "BEST OF" collections go, this is not one of my favourites. There are too many other HATS songs that could have made this CD a true gem (just listen to "POP" and you'll know what I mean). Whenever I listen to this CD, I have to skip over half of the tracks. But there are some definite winners here: Safety Dance, Living in China, I Got the Message, Pop Goes the World, On Tuesday, and a great remix of Freeway. All in all, if you're just getting into HATS and looking for a fun/groovy/pop CD, then it's probably a good starting point.

This is a really good example of what a compilation album should be like. With big hits that include Safety Dance and Pop Goes the World, this is a type of compilation album from this group that is a must listen to. While the band began off with Safety Dance, they kept it going with plenty more hits and have even tried out plenty of new things as they kept going. Released in the 1990's, this album is indeed a compilation album that is a must get.

Great Album, great band, just listen to the sample music; there are a few missing songs, but otherwise it's a great album; certainly worth a buy!

Looked for the particular songs I wated for a play list and found I had to buy the album to get the safety dance. Still, that got me a couple of other songs I had forgotten. Cheerful music for the most part, good for an exercise play list. Listening to the music of your teenage years can be a disapointment, these songs weren't.

The guy who rated this one star is an aglet with a mind of it's own.

This is "heavy dance" music that still can make anyone who grew up in the 80's laugh out loud! It is trance-dance oriented, and almost every song in this greatest hits package is excellent. The higher price made me wait a while before I bought it, but if you are a 80's Dance fan of such bands like Dead or Alive, you would get into this.

I can't believe that's what this is selling for. To be completely honest, I don't know why anyone would want this album, let alone pay twenty bucks for it. There's no way in the world this disc is anywhere close to being worth more than five bucks.

I bought this out of Goodwill (in excellent shape) for 50 cents simply because I, like so many other people, loved "The Safety Dance" when it came out. This disc also includes an extended mix of "The Safety Dance" that's four and a half minutes long (the regular version clocks in at just under 3 minutes). Those are the only two songs on the entire album that are remotely close to being listenable. Everything else is garbage.

I guess if Canadian synth pop from the 80's is your thing, then this would make for a decent pick up. Otherwise, avoid like the plague.

If you're looking to buy this album, shoot me an e-mail. I'll gladly slash these prices.

Standout Tracks: The Safety Dance and The Safety Dance (Extended Version)