Stories / About Us (2-For-1) (Reis)

Stories | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 23, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Raven [Australia]
• ASIN: B000NI3FF6
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,220 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hello People

2. I'm Comming Home

3. Winter Scenes

4. Step Back

5. You Told Me

6. Saint James

7. Kathleen

8. Take Cover

9. Nice To Have You Here

10. High And Low

11. Darling

12. Don't Ever Let Me Down

13. Love Is In Motion

14. Hey France

15. Please, Please

16. Changes Have Begun

17. Circles

18. Believe Me

19. Words

20. Top Of the City

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative power pop from New York City, December 1, 2007

By 

Fredric A. Cooper "Hollies fan" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stories / About Us (2-For-1) (Reis) (Audio CD)

Oh, the comparisons with The Left Banke! Fans (or should I say fanatics) of The Left Banke enjoy putting down Stories, the second major band founded by Left Banke mastermind Michael Brown. Well, here's one fellow who loves BOTH The Left Banke and Stories (yes, it is possible.) "Stories" contains the Top 50 single "I'm Coming Home" as well as the sublime "Take Cover" (which should have been issued as the followup, but there was no followup single from the album.) Lead singer Ian Lloyd's vocals are exciting and strong; he is a powerhouse singer who can handle very delicate tunes equally well. The second album, "About Us", is Stories' classic, with great tunes such as the rousing opener "Darling", the wistful "Love Is In Motion" (with its gorgeous harmonies), and the rocking "Top Of The City". But the album's centerpiece is the magnificent "Please Please", which peaks and valleys so often you might think you're on a roller coaster. Brilliant pop.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars two excellent and over looked albums, October 16, 2007

By 

Ted Trident (Utah) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stories / About Us (2-For-1) (Reis) (Audio CD)

After reading the previous review of this cd,I dont know what hes talking about.He said that on the second album Michael Browns presence is not found.With the exception of Brother Louie,which was thrown on after Michael left you can hear him and his keyboards on every track.I totally love both these albums,though I feel the second one is better produced.Listen to tracks like Darling,Love is in motion,Please please,circles,words and What comes after ,and tell me you cant tell how wonderful of a keyboard player he is.As for Ian Lloyds singing I think he does a fantastic job on these songs.On Brother Louie it was obvious to me that Michael wasnt on it since its not his style.I have played these albums to death and was thriiled to see the released of this cd.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The sounds quality is NOT awesome, November 24, 2010

By 

DJ MR Smith (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stories / About Us (2-For-1) (Reis) (Audio CD)

There is no question that the music by The Stories is solid, first wave power-pop. If you are here on this page, you probably already know that. On the surface the package looks great as an affordable twofer, including a fairly scare track only previously released as a vinyl single. However the sound quality of this particular package is poor.

Vocals and guitars have distortion where there should be none. The high end is not crisp and the low end is not solid, while mids glare. It's actually a fairly annoying listen. Pity, as the music is A+ and you'd think the band's legacy would merit better.

Unfortunately it seems this is the only place these two complete albums are available. The tracks from About Us seem to sound the worst with minor but audible distortion present on most songs. The self titled album fairs a bit better but is still muddy. The bonus track seems to have the best sound, but it's just one song and probably has limited appeal (a tale of bisexuality!).

If you only need the killer hit single, Brother Louie, I'd still recommend Rhino's Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day 10. It's 20 years old at this point, but still sounds pretty good. And Brother Louie is accompanied by other big (and equally charming) hits of the same time period.

Otherwise you can pay collector prices for an out of print CD copy of About Us. I've not heard it, but the pics posted with the Amazon description suggest the album has been remastered.

The self titled album has never been otherwise available on CD in its entirety. There is a collection by The Stories on the See For Miles label called Walk Away From the Left Banke. That includes just 4 songs from the first self titled album.

It's odd that these records have seen such limited reissue. But until somebody does a better job, looks like I'll stand by my old vinyl copies...