Customer Reviews

Sports [Expanded Edition]

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is one of my all-time favorite albums; it certainly brings back lots of memories of 1984, though I did not actually own a copy until 2003. It is the hit singles that I remember hearing on the radio throughout 1984.

My favorite track would have to be "The Heart of Rock and Roll," followed closely by "I Want a New Drug" and "If This is It," which, coincidentally, were the three biggest singles.

However, this "re-mastered" edition, which was released in 1999, is very, very poor. I purchased this edition in the summer of 2003, at which time I was taking an internship in audio engineering. This "24-bit re-master" is an engineer's worst nightmare. The engineer who re-mastered this disc has taken some pretty tasteless liberties with the bass and treble.

On most of the tracks, there is too much low end bass, which makes them sound muddy and overbearing. There is also a lack of treble (high-end), making this an extremely poorly-balanced re-master. The best example of this is track #4, "I Want a New Drug." The bass drum pounds and pounds away, ready to break my car stereo speakers at any given moment. The high-end is not as airy or clear as it sounds on the old CD edition. And the following track, "Walking On a Thin Line," opens with a synthesizer bass line that is excessively overbearing.

At first, I thought that this was intentional, but after downloading mp3s of each track, presumably ripped from the original CD release, I can safely say that this release was severely botched up. The mp3s, particularly "I Want a New Drug," sound much more balanced out and tighter.

Again, a great album, but a very poor re-master. To think that this edition was intended to replace the original CD release is unthinkable.

Also, Chrysalis/Capitol Records missed an opportunity to include the extended 12" remix of "I Want a New Drug," as well as the very rare 12" remix of the first single, "Heart and Soul." I would have listened to those more than once, which is more than I can say for the existing bonus tracks, which consist of alternate session takes for "The Heart of Rock and Roll" and "Walking on a Thin Line," respectively, as well as live, concert versions of "If This is It," "Heart and Soul," and "I Want a New Drug."


UPDATE: I managed to locate a copy of the original CD edition, which sounds a heck of a lot tighter, crisper, and better balanced than this atrocity of a re-master.

Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83,I think they really came into their own, commercial and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humour.

At least one other reviewer hit the nail right on the head with his "two star" review of SPORTS (Remastered/Expanded Edition). If you can imagine taking your 5-band EQ and turning the treble end all the way down and the bass end all the way up, that's what you're getting on this CD. To quote Huey, "sometimes bad is bad," but this is one case where bad is pure garbage.

I just put my original vinyl copy of Sports on the turntable, and it sounds fantastic! If you need this on CD, look for the earlier edition.

Huey Lewis & The News enjoyed a moderate hit with their previous album, Picture This. From that album, no one could have predicted what a major smash hit their follow up, Sports would be. The album spawned four top ten hits, went to number one, spent almost a year in the top ten and over three years in the top 200. Part of the band's appeal lays in the fact that they seem like just an average bunch of guys who could live in your neighborhood or play on your local softball team. The songs on Sports are straight ahead, no nonsense songs that full of picture perfect harmonies and appealing hooks. "The Heart of Rock 'N' Roll" opens up the album and sets the tone with its roll call of towns and its catchy chorus. "Heart & Soul" is a jumping song with it's pounding guitars and punchy lyrics. "Bad Is Bad" shows off the band's slick harmonies in a southern fried soul style song. "I Want A New Drug" maybe the band's most recognizable song and is just about as perfect a pop song as you can record. "Walking On A Thin Line" tackles the serious subject of Vietnam Vets dealing with coming home from the war, but does so in a manner that is not self righteous or aggrandizing. "Finally Found A Home" has a swift and pulsating pace while "If This Is It" is a bright and sunny track remiscant of The Beach Boys. "You Crack Me Up" is a frenzied number and "Honky Tonk Blues" is a cover of a Hank Williams song in which the band lets loose. The additional tracks are all fine, but the original nine tracks that made up Sports stand out on their own. The album has sold over ten million copies and is one the finest albums that was released in the 80's.

This is not only the group's best album, but one of the greatest pop albums of all time. For those of you who were in junior high or high school when this album came out, this is a must own CD. Songs like "Heart of Rock and Roll," "If This is It," and "I Want a New Drug" will bring back many memories and are every bit as fun to listen to now as they were back then.

Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercial and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humour...In '87, Huey released this, "Fore," their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip to be Square", a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself.

To think I sold my old cd to get the "better" sounding "remastered" version with extra tracks! 2 stars because even without the bonus tracks which in this case doesn't help the cd at all, this is actually quite a good album; I also got the cassette when this came out and quite frankly, even the cassette sounded better than this!

The sound quality is very, very poor so I'd recommend if you haven't already got this, to wait for another better remastered version or even get the original untouched cd if you can still find it as there is really no noticeable difference. Perhaps if there is a well produced "Best of" compilation, that may be a good idea to get too especially to get "Do You Believe In Love" as well which I still think is their greatest hit ever. I wonder if I can sell this cd too. Hmm......

Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercial and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humor.

Okay, so the songs are simple and nothing breaks new ground. But the one thing about this group is the immense amount of fun they are clearly having making music. "Sports" is a diverse collection of trendy songs and faithful tributes. Here's a song by song snapshot:

The Heart of Rock and Roll - a fun, poppy, hook-laden tribute to the history of rock music and a celebration of what's yet to come. Those horns make the song soar at the end.

Heart and Soul - their first top 10 hit and a great pop song finished off with some cool power chords.

Bad Is Bad - I used to hate this song, but time has made me come to love the wonderful bluesy vocal harmonies and the controlled playing. This is where you find just how tight a band they are.

I Want A New Drug - One of the coolest News songs; the lyrics are terrific and the band plays it into the stratosphere, with horns making the song fly once again.

Walking On A Thin Line - My personal favorite News song. Kind of autobiographical, but the tight playing - particularly in the chorus - makes this song special and timeless.

Finally Found A Home - Another great, but forgotten song; it's almost the band's lyrical response to the struggles expressed in Walking On A Thin Line. Those who don't know the News beyond their bounty of hits need to hear this song to really appreicate them.

If This Is It - A poppy breakup song - to me it's the weakest offering on the album, but when Huey wails "If this is it, please let me know", you actually buy it. So it's still okay.

You Crack Me Up - yeah, it's simple and says nothing new. And they sound like they're having so much fun, you'll wish you were right there in the studio when they recorded it.

Honky Tonk Blues - only years later did I realize how big a deal it is - a so-called 80's pop band covering Hank Williams, not just covering it, but capturing all the passion of the song.

Music is blessed with diverse artists. Some are there to challenge our thought process, and that's where Dylan came in. Some are there to set new trends - enter the Beatles. Some are there to lend the music to a rebellious generation - thank you Stones! Some made sonic exploration the playground, like Pink Floyd. And some blended wild amounts of style into new sounds, like Led Zeppelin. But sometimes, we dismiss those artists that just want to bring music to its simplest level and just make it fun and entertainment. And nobody since the mid sixties did it any better than the News did on this album. The best way to enjoy this album is to invite all your friends over, crack open a cold one, turn it up loud and par-tay!

Every Song on this cd is remastered. So, you have a great sound. Also, theirs Bonus Tracks. The Walking on a thin line session take is GREAT. The heart of rock n roll is without Johhny/horns. Huey Hums instead. The Live versions are AWESOME. Huey is talking and then he goes into to the SOngs. So, Itss a mini-live cd. Great Cd..Must have for a HUey Lewis & The News Fan.