Customer Reviews

A Slight Case Of Overbombing (Greatest Hits Vol. 1)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A while back I had given this album a sub-par review, based not on the music but on the selections featured.

However, serious listening has forced me to reconsider for a number of reasons.

A lot of fans don't have use for a Greatest Hits since they own all of the albums. Of course, bands throw on an extra song or two and subtly force you to pick it up. Every band winds up doing it. Or now you can just download those two extra songs.

In the case of Overbombing (apprently the name of an aborted album from one of Sisters guitarist Adam Pearson's old bands) they've at least released the hits on the album in slightly different versions to give the disc more value

In other words, yes these are the same songs from First and Last and Floodland, etc.,however, the versions are indeed different.

It's definitely welcome. Unless you want to hunt down way out of print 12" vinyl singles orway out of print CD maxi-singles or shoddy bootlegs, these versions are not available anymore.

Just old fashioned singles-remixing, nothing radical. These are good alternatives:

Under The Gun - The last "new" thing the Sisters have released. A metal-ish ballad that took a little time to grow. Excellent duet with Terri Nunn of Berlin fame, the song starts with such an un-Sisters-ish tone only to build into an Eldritch lyrical coup de grace that ends with "under the gun...under the gun...under the gun."

Temple Of Love (1992) - probably what Eldritch originally envisioned Temple as, a less sped-up, louder, more powerful and driving number with amazing backing vocals by Ofra Haza.

Vision Thing - This is the Canadian Club remix, though it's not referred to as. It's addictive--way longer than the album; inludes the Apocalypse Now sample played backwards

Doctor Jeep - Odd that they would release this version of the song on here. It's butchered down to three minutes. Meanwhile there's an Extended Version that is way more satisfying

Lucretia My Reflection - This is a highlight. This version is nearly twice as long as the Floodland version, so you get a long instrumental extension, including the legendary bassline and fine guitar work. Very, very welcome. Unless, of course, the Sisters 'jamming' offends you

This Corrosion - Slightly shorter than the album version, it cuts out a few "ooh ooh ohh"s without harming the song. Still over 10 minutes long

No Time To Cry - I found the main difference between the FALAA versions and Overbombing to be a more powerful, louder production on the singles versions (apparently produced by Eldritch himself). Dr. Avalanche seems louder and heavier and it gives a boost to the production of that album (which isn't too hot)

Walk Away - Same here, Dr. Avalanche thumping away, very nice

Body And Soul - Courteous to include this here, unavailable anywhere else on CD. (Some Girls only covers up to '83, so the '84 Body and Soul was in limbo). For some reason, I think the single version is colder and nowhere near as loud as it should be. Do yourself a favor and get a bootleg from 1985 to hear this song played with more oomph

While "Lucretia, My Reflection" will always call to mind clove cigarettes, black lace and Doc Martins, elements of this collection go far beyond a single scene or narrow categorization, such as this media-influenced notion of "Goth".

The Sisters of Mercy sound is motorcycle guitar meets Bach, and it works. Lead singer and frontman Andrew Eldritch's voice is quintessential Gothic, a la Peter Murphy, carrying all the edginess you'd expect to come with the black-leather, pale-skin look, but soothing in its own right. Lyrically, the songs hit a mark that eludes today's wannabe Goth/Pop tunes. When's the last time anything in the top 40 approached the sharp complexity of "I hear the roar of a big machine/Hot metal and methedrine"? What's more, these lyrics dare to have haunting depth, as the chorus of probably their best-known song, "More," pleas for what we all want: "And I need all the love I can get/And I need all the love that I can't get, too."

This CD is a must for anyone who's ever worn black lipstick, as well as for anyone who's ever wondered why someone might want to.

If you are reading this because you keep hearing how great the Sisters are (were) and want to hear it for yourself, DON'T buy this album. Go buy Floodland instead. That, and parts of Some Girls Wander, is what most people are raving about. This compilation is, for some strange reason, dominated by songs off the horrible Vision Thing album instead, which will give you a completely false picture of this once-great band. For Sisters collectors, this collection is an even worse choice. You lot should be buying Some Girls. Yes, I know it's more expensive, but it has all the tracks you need. The original Temple of Love! Alice! Gimme Shelter! Body and Soul! And the entire Reptile House EP! Give this collection a miss. A Slight Case of Overestimating Your Own Importance, Andy.

Upon first glance, this is what it is: a greatest hits compilation. Okay, so "serious" Sisters fans can likely pass on by, right? Wrong! Spend a moment with me and I'll address what you get here.

First, from "Vision Thing" we have the standards "Vision Thing," "Detonation Boulevard," "Doctor Jeep," and "More." "Doctor Jeep" has been butchered down to about 3 minutes, so that's a bad thing. "Vision Thing" is a different version/remix from what's on the original album, so this is a fresh new approach and a good thing. So what from "Vision Thing" is sorely lacking on this album? Well, I'd like to see "Ribbons" included.

Second, from "Floodland" we have "Lucretia, My Reflection," "This Corrosion," and "Dominion/Mother Russia." "This Corrosion" has been shortened a bit, but nothing vital is missing. "Lucretia" is slightly longer, so that's a good thing. So what from "Floodland" got hacked? Well, I'd have voted for "1959" and "Flood I."

Third, from "First and Last and Always" we have "No Time to Cry" and "Walk Away." While these two songs don't seem to be remixes in the more conventional sense of the word, they do seem to be better recordings (more open, forward, etc.) than what appeared on the original album. Again, though, what is missing here? I'd certainly have included "Marian" if I were putting this together.

Fourth (and here's where it gets really good), we have "Under the Gun" for the first time on an album. This song never appeared on any studio album, but there was a single out there (but I never could find it). There was a rumor at the time that this song was supposed to be on "The Crow" soundtrack, but got pulled after the accidental death of Brandon Lee.

Fifth, "Temple of Love (1992)." This is a different version (I think better) than what appeared on the original vinyl single or the "Some Girls Wander by Mistake" CD collection.

Last, "Body and Soul." This is a single that was sorely lacking from the "Some Girls . . ." compilation. It sounds very much like the material on the first album and it should since it's from the time period. Other than on the original vinyl single, it won't be had anywhere other than here.

So, this is an excellent place to start for new or casual Sisters of Mercy fans, but seasoned veterans need to pick this one up too! Come on, the elusive "Under the Gun" and "Body and Soul" are worth the ticket price by themselves.

...is a very interesting choice of tracks. I'm guessing that Sisters frontman Andrew Eldritch had complete say on what tracks would be included here. I believe he took what he thought were some of his best songwriting moments and called them "Greatest Hits". Notice 4 tracks from Vision Thing which is, for better or worse, regarded as the weakes Sisters album by far too many. It wouldn't surprise me though if Eldritch considered it their best, since he comes off that way in interviews and given the amount of material performed live from this album. I guess it's his way of giving you what he thinks are his best SONGS, and not necessarily "Greatest Hits" per se. Maybe. I don't know. It's the Sisters, so you have to be careful what you believe.

Nevertheless, we do get the all-time classic This Corrosion, Dominion, and Lucretia from Floodland, the album generally regarded as the Sisters' crowning achievement. Then, only two tracks off of First, and Last and Always, their first complete studio album that is, in my opinion, their most accessible to newcomer. It rounds out with the non-LP track Body and Soul, which is short in the studio but really came alive if you hear it on bootlegs.

And as for "new" material, well, we get two tracks...sort of. Temple of Love, their earlier classic, gets a new 1992 treatment, complete with a booming Doktor Avalanche. We also get some incredible female vocals on this one with Ofra Hazit. This version is even dancier than the original--it jumps, and we get a LOT of Eldritch vocals on here. A good job.

Under the Gun might be the track people run out to buy this disc for (even if they have all the albums) but it really isn't worth the bother. Hunt down a bootleg version of the song and hear it live and better. We know this deal--a Greatest Hits album, you have ALL the albums, but you need ONE song. How considerate of them.

All in all, if this is someone's start to the Sisters then they'll get into the thick of Eldritch's songwriting right away and either like it and just feel...blah. If you want to have a solid entry point for this band just pick up First, and Last and Always and give it a listen. Every single song is good, and catchy, and high on replay value.

I wouldn't recommended starting with this and/or Vision Thing. That album was from 1990, which was a very interesting time in rock (in between hair metal dominance and grunge takeover) when guitars were very in and so was...hair.

Nice cover, though.

Throughout their 80s career the Sisters have had only one consistent member: singer/songwriter Andrew Eldritch. The rest of the band changed from album to album. The notable split-off, Wayne Hussey stepped out in the early days and went on to form "the Mission (UK)" which had some solid albums: "Gods own Medicine", Children" and "Carvedinsand". The Sisters had some solid albums themselves, which are all represented here. "First and Last and Always" (2 songs), "Floodland" (3 songs) and "Vision Thing" (4 songs). The other three songs were previously unreleased, including the quintessential 9 minute re-make of "Temple of Love". Song Selection is OK, omissions include the early classics "Alice" and stones-cover "Gimme Shelter" and the later hit "When You Don't See Me". Other than that what can I say, more groundbreaking than most people think. Essential Stuff.

The Sisters of Mercy often are pigeonholed as "gothic club music," which is unfortunate. Most club music sounds great when you're in the club and boring as hell once you get it home. What makes TSOM great is that you can listen to them alone sitting completely still and get more out of it than you would if you were wildly gyrating. This collection takes the most danceable songs from TSOM's albums, but remains a treat for the mind as well as the body. If nothing else, buy it for the lyrics. They're included in the liner notes, rare for a greatest hits collection, and worth perusing. Beautiful and strange imagery abounds: "Flowers on the razor wire," "The temple of love grows old and strong/ but the wind blows stronger cold and long," "Love is a many splintered thing." The music will make your body move, the lyrics will linger on your lips like candy. TSOM take their sound beyond dance music, beyond goth; the album is beautifully nuanced and stuffed with surprises (check out the Israeli vocalist on Temple of Love, or the massive four-part choir on This Corrosion). A must have for any open-minded music fan -- black lipstick and fangs are completely optional.

An enjoyable package from archetypical Goth band Sisters Of Mercy. It contains Under The Gun, their 1993 hit, and the superb 1993 remix of Temple Of Love with its hypnotic dance beat. From the hugely successful album Floodland come Dominion, Lucretia My Reflection and This Corrosion. Other great tracks include Vision Thing and More from the Vision Thing album. These are tales from the dark side with a twist. You could dance to most of the Sisters' music, which made them club favourites around the world.

Andrew Eldritch is a truly tallented artist and a good lyricists. I love the lyrics for temple of love (1992) and this is a truly one of his greatest tracks and having the vocals of Ofra Haza makes it an even better track. Edlritch is an underappreciated vocalist and his unique and different sounding vocals fit this kind of music perfect. There are so many amazing tracks on this greatest hits compilation, but if I had to pick a few then it has to be under the gun, doctor jeep and temple of love (1992). The book-let is quite nice and the logo is awesome as usual. However, the text is like miniscule and it is quite hard to read. This is an awesome greatest hits collection from a truly great rock group.

Look buy this cd right now. Dont even hesitate. If you are even into old school goth rock at all, even a little bit of this album will sway you to the darkside. Comes complete with a best of and even has the '92 version of Temple of Love which has been getting us lame goth/industrial guys laid since......well... 92 I guess. Anyways buy this album because you cant have any kind of goth collection with out over half these songs.