Customer Reviews

Stars: The Best of Dubstar

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

 

 

If you don't own any Dubstar music, I'll say that the 3-star rating has nothing to do with the music. It's lovely. If you've ever been mistreated, dumped (the more, the better you'll like Dubstar), cheated on, or otherwise had a crap relationship, most of the music will strike a chord with you.

Think "The Smiths on ecstacy featuring Kirsty MacColl" (r.i.p. dear Kirsty).

Some of the lyrics are terrific, some of them pretty awful, but there are hooks, hooks, hooks galore in the melodies... It's a bit overproduced at times, but Sarah's voice does not project naturally when she sings - it's quite soft (needless to say, they didn't do much touring), so uber-production needed to be a focus (and especially because Steve Hillier didn't have Sarah's soft vocals in mind when he originally created several of the songs).

Now, nothing against the band (unless co-founder Steve Hillier had anything to do with these choices!), but this is basically a rehash of some of the most poppy songs on US version of Goodbye (the US version is quite different from the UK release) with a few others sprinkled in (and not the ones I would have chosen, either).

It's nice having the acoustic version of "Elevator Song" (which is charming), but some other b-sides would have been better instead (such as "I Lost A Friend" [I,Friday Night b-side], "In My Defence" [Cathedral Park b-side], "La Boheme [No More Talk b-side], or if they could have swung the various artists compilation songs "Not So Fast" [Copulation Explosion V.16] and "Everyday I Die" [Random: Gary Newman Tribute].

Honestly, you're better off paying a few bucks more and getting **BOTH** import CD's "Goodbye [IMPORT]" and Disgraceful, as you'll have 10 or so more (and more excellent) songs than this compilation gives you, for only a few dollars more. NOTE: Be careful with the Goodbye CD, because the US version is a combination of a few tracks from both Goodbye and Disgraceful (UK). (Boy, did they stiff the US when they aimed in that direction!)

Then Add the Make It Better CD if you like, because this Best-Of CD misses the mark in its inclusions from that, as well.

Anyway, summing it up, I suggest passing this up and instead spend five or so more bucks and get the IMPORT "Goodbye" (15 tracks, very different from the US version!) and Disgraceful CD's, and if you want the other few tracks missing from those two on this disc, just scrounge around for them.

Amazon appears to have the wrong tracks listed, since I have the same problem as the previous reviewer. Here are the correct tracks (at least on the CD that I have):

1. Stars (original mix), 2. Anywhere, 3. The Day I See You Again, 4. Just a Girl She Said, 5. Elevator Song (acoustic version), 6. Not So Manic Now, 7. No More Talk, 8. I Will Be Your Girlfriend, 9. Cathedral Park, 10. Can't Tell Me, 11. Ghost, 12. When the World Knows Your Name (demo version), 13. I (Friday Night), 14. The Self Same Thing, 15. Swansong.

By the way, it's still a great CD, as long as you're not disappointed about not getting those other two tracks.

My copy of this CD does NOT contain 17 tracks. It stops at 15, omitting the previously unreleased "Jealousy" and "In Charge." Since these two tracks are the only reasons I bought the disc, I feel immensely ripped-off. Anyone else have the same disappointing news to report, or did I just get a weird copy?