Time Capsule: The Best of Matthew Sweet

Matthew Sweet | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 2000)
• Original Release Date: September 26, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Volcano
• ASIN: B00004XR6H
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,926 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Songs, October 4, 2000

By 

Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Time Capsule: The Best of Matthew Sweet (Audio CD)

Matthew Sweet is unfortunately an overlooked artist who has recorded some the best power pop music in the last twenty years. After he released two albums in the late 80's, that were quite frankly not that good, he hit his stride with his third release, the brilliant Girlfriend, which is one the best albums of the 90's. That album mixed various styles from the Beatlesque "Divine Intervention" to the driving rock of "Girlfriend" to the Neil Youngish "Winona" (which is not included here, but should be) and it appeared that he was poised for a major commercial breakthrough, but that never happened. He continued to release fine albums that contained some of the excellent songs on this disc including "Ugly Truth", "We're The Same", "Someone To Pull The Trigger" & "Sick Of Myself". If you are not familiar with Mr. Sweet, this collection is a great introduction. As with any hits collection, there are some omissions, so I would suggest you also pick up Girlfriend & Altered Beast which are his strongest albums and two of the best released in the 90's.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best compilations around, August 29, 2002

By 

cdswatch "cdswatch" (Folsom, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time Capsule: The Best of Matthew Sweet (Audio CD)

Alas, Matthew Sweet will always be remembered for his happy-go-lucky tune, "Girlfriend". For those who have followed his career will know that "Girlfriend" is merely the tip of the iceberg. His talents have been showcased in many fantastic albums such as "Altered Beast" (in my opinion his best), "100% Fun", and most recently "In Reverse".

His genre of music, aptly dubbed power pop, is a distortion guitar drenched sound that mixes in one part southern rock, two parts ballads, one part noise, and the rest plain rocking music. His lyrics are simple and discernible, and his penchant for writing about dysfunctional relationships could be irritating at times, however, he was no doubt one of the best singer-songwriters around in the 90's. While his peers like Aimee Mann have been lauded everywhere and enjoying the limelight, it is sad to see Matthew Sweet goes largely unappreciated outside of "Girlfriend".

As far as the compilation goes, the song selection is right on. All his (arguably) best songs are in here. Not to say that the rest of his work are half bad, these are, in my opinion, the songs that are most accessible. If you detect the changes of moods in different parts of this compilation, don't be surprised. They songs are ordered by the time of release, and every one of his album has an overall tone. "Girlfried", "Blues Sky in Mars", "100% Fun" are his "happy" albums (simply put), while "Altered Beast" and "In Reverse" are the moody ones.

If you consider yourself a great music fan, do me a favor. Get this album, and see how fast you will get hooked to Matthew Sweet.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Yourself a Favor - Buy This CD., February 20, 2001

By 

Stacie (West Springfield, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time Capsule: The Best of Matthew Sweet (Audio CD)

Seven years ago, I blindly picked up a CD called 'Altered Beast' by a guy I had only vaguely heard of. Within a week, I knew every word, and had rushed out to buy Matthew Sweet's previous albums. Catchy hooks, dark lyrics, captivating ballads - and that voice! This was unlike anything I had heard before.

He followed up 'Altered Beast' with a series of solid power-pop albums. Why Matthew has not had more radio hits is a complete enigma to me! This collection covers from his 'Girlfriend' album to his most recent, 'In Reverse'. It also includes 2 new songs - not his best, but they're definitely worth a listen or two. It's interesting to see how far he has come in the past 10 years.

This truly is the 'Best of' Matthew Sweet. If you're a new fan, start here!