Shine: The Best of the Early Years

David Gray

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2007)
• Original Release Date: March 26, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B000MRA7RC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,363 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This is not the first collection of David Gray's "pre-success" recordings, but it is the best one. Unlike many such collections of early works by noted artists, you're not seeing the artist's abilities in their infant state--each of these 15 songs is already great. The Mancunian musician's performing abilities were well developed by the time he first recorded in the early '90s; one might even argue that they sound best in the often stripped-down, more raw state on display here. The songs themselves, however, have definitely matured since Gray hit the alt-adult-contemporary big time with the electronica-tinged White Ladder in 2000; such songs as "Wisdom" and "Birds Without Wings" do show the marks of other singer-songers (notably Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan). These days, of course, David Gray is himself often used as an adjective, to describe all the other scruffy-bearded blue-eyed songsters reaching for the sensitive crooner's crown. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Best, April 3, 2007

By	W. Gagnon (Berkley, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used to have a mixtape of my favorite David Gray songs -- my "Best of." This CD is nearly an identical mix of that tape. These are the best of the early years. They are the best of David Gray. Usually, on a "Best of" compilation, there are always a few question marks in the eyes of fans that already have all the songs, but this one doesn't have any. One flawless CD.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why are you considering buying this album?, July 1, 2007

By	Neil Laslett (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

David Grey's early work is a treasure trove of brilliance. Some otherwise good performers put out hit-and-miss albums, and it's best to wait for the anthologies to grab the good tracks. Not here. The albums this anthology draws from are all stunning, from the first track to the last.

I'm not a DG fanatic; I'm just saying they are good. Very very good. So please, do youself a huge favor, and go pick up "A Century Ends", "Sell, Sell, Sell", and "Flesh". You're already here on Amazon, so go on. Consider it an investment in your soul, and you'll save shipping costs to boot. Because, after you hear these songs, you're just going to want to come back and hear all the tracks you're missing, like "Gathering Dust" and "Let the Truth Sting".

So buy this album if you must, but consider yourself warned: You'll love it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good start but his 1st 3 CDs are worth buying instead of this CD., July 15, 2008

By	tulips (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I was lucky enough to hear "Shine" playing in a used CD store back in 1994. I asked the clerk if I could listen to the rest of the albulm (his 2nd, Flesh) and after 2 more songs I was hooked. I spent the rest of the afternoon searching for other albums by David Gray & picked up A Century Ends without hearing a song.

I love all 3 of his early works and the songs on the compilation are very good representations of what you will find on the CDs. My only wish is that it contained "Gathering Dust" -- a hearbreaking song about the end of a relationship & one of my absolutely favorite songs on his debut. If you are a casual fan, this CD is for you. If you really enjoy David Gray's music, I recommend buying the complete albums (A Century Ends, Flesh, Sell, Sell, Sell) instead. His earlier work is similar to White Ladder in terms of excellent songwriting but the arrangements are far more sparse & have less synth/drum machine like sounds. My only wish is that his earlier works were re-released with better production values -- not changing the sparse arrangements but improving the quality of the recording/sound.