Customer Reviews

Riff After Riff

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

 

 

After more than a decade since their last U.S. release (Earth Vs. The Wildhearts, 1993)it is great to see the greatest band in the WORLD have a new (and most deserved) U.S. record deal. This album is absolutely great, and if you are a die-hard Wildhearts fan, chances are you already have all the songs on this album, if you're not you should be after listening to any of these songs. "Looking For The One", "Lake of Piss", "Better Than Cable", and "Bang!" are the true stand out tracks here, and the coolest part is that they, along with every other track (excluding "Stormy" on this record are B-sides. That should tell you the quality of this band. What other band could release an album of B-sides and have it be half as good as this record is? None!!! Every track could and should be an A-side! Not to mention it is great to finally have "Return to Zero" (originally a vinyl only B-side) on CD. There are I feel some glaring omissions including their ripping version of "Cheers" and "You Got To Get Through What You've Got To Go Through To Get What You Want, But You Got To Know What You Want To Get Through What You Got To Go Through", however all in all I feel that the Wildhearts have released another amazing album as a whole. If you like the Darkness (The Wildhearts gave them their first huge break) then you will LOVE The Wildhearts. Check out this album, I promise you won't be dissapointed!!!

I own some 1600 different tapes, cd's or albums (aka Recordings), and I just found out about these guys last November ('09). After 20yrs of collecting music, this band has blown my mind! I've been through; Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, Metal, Glam, Pop, Punk, Grunge, and what-ever the 21 Century has startoff with, and The WiLDHEARTS pretty much cover this whooooole spectrum! And they do it well! Eh, maybe not so much the Glam style.....but everything else they blow out of the water! There are very, very few bands around the world that; 1-stick to thier guns, 2-sound great recording after recording, and finally 3-standout from the mainstream! Ginger and crew have done this for sum 20 YEARS! (IMHO)-Not even the Who, the Stone's, Def Leppard, or The Beattles were able to this! AND, That's some pretty big company here (funny how they're from England....hmmm, so are The WiLDHEARTS, go figure!) the Music industry is so fickle that there are a lot of bands that truly deserve the MILLIONS of ($) support to showcase their talent, but never get noticed (well some notice but not nearly enough), much like the WiLDHEARTS. I own; Coupled With, The WiLDHEARTS Must be Destroyed, The WiLDHEARTS, Chutzpah! and The Best of...P.H.U.Q. and The Works are currently in the mail. All of which will pretty much give me (most of their music) and the pride of owning one of the "best" song writting, music and true style bands on the planet. If any US radio had the nutz to play their music, these guys would be HUGE! I MEAN HUUUUGE! But....as we all know the US Music industry is all about creating fads, commercializing style, and milking it for everything they can! And because of this, The WiLDHEARTS will never get any praise or appreciation here in the States, which is too bad. But, for the few (1000) people in the States that do know these guys, it's our secret. We know these guys are a hidden treasure ias far as Musicians go. Most of the outside World knows too, but...mainstream USA, sorry. For those looking for a recommendation..."Couple With", and "the Best of" will give a GREAT SAMPLE of this band. You'll listen to these recordings day-in-day-out. If you like Rock, or Punk, or Metal, or even a Medolic sing along style of music, this band will give of all of it! I really can't believe it took me so long to find such great music, BUT..I DID, and now I can't get enough! Rock On WiLDHEARTS!

When I first heard about this release I was super excited. The Wildhearts are truly one of the greatest hard rock acts of all time, and practically no one in America has even heard of them. This Wildhearts 'album' is their first to be released in America since their debut WAY back in '93. Due to that, they are also finally again touring the US. This 'album' is really a compilation of b-sides from the singles from their last album [although not a comprehensive one, more on that later...]. Most fans I've spoken with seem to agree that throughout their career, Wildhearts b-sides are some of their best songs. Although I by no means dislike their latest album - 'the Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed' - I feel the album lacks in comparison to these incredible b-sides [many criticize the new album for being too 'lite' and 'poppy'; overall the b-sides are a bit harder and more aggressive, although there are exceptions]. To make matters cooler - this contains a track previously only availaable on vinyl - "Return to Zero" (* I had to edit this review to note that sadly, this song sounds AWFUL on the CD, and many fans have noticed - I'm still keeping the 5 star rating tho, as this is not a reflection of the quality of the band or their music, just a bad, BAD job done by Gearhead, which breaks my heart to say). Also, this collection is available [although not on Amazon] on limited edition color vinyl. The only thing that does take away some of the excitement in regards to this release is an import that will be available in a couple weeks - A collection entitled "Coupled With", which includes ALL the b-sides from the last album (except for a track that was only available on vinyl called "Dancin' (Instrumental)", but to be honest this is really no loss). Still, if you want to be introduced to one of the greatest bands of all time for a good price, this is a great place to start.

Doesn't hold a candle to Earth vs. the Wildhearts. Similar in style and content but there is something missing. Can't put my finger on it. These guys still don't know when to end a song. Sometimes when they span several different styles in a song it's a bit too schizophrenic. And what's up with the second song?

There are certain things you can always count on and one of them is that The Wildhearts will continue to produce albums that rock. The songs are catchy, the riffs are memorable, and it's all about having a good time. Hopefully, their opening slot for the current Darkness tour will introduce the band to many new fans. For those of us who have been around from the start we can always rely on them to deliver the goods.