Customer Reviews

Ultimate Collection

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This quintet from Portland, OR should have been massive. Very hard to find material by them, and this collection is definitely worth the $$. A pretty good choice of cuts from their 4 albums, although obviously could have had more ("The strong will always rock" for one). Like most people who have bought this album, I used to have their tapes and records in the 80s but have long since lost them. Upon getting this release, I can't help but wonder "why didn't these guys hit it big?"
With great hard rock vocals from Jamie St. James, and the intricate interplay between the two outstanding guitarists (current KISS confidant Tommy Thayer and returned Rose City resident Jef "Woop" Warner), this band had ALL the elements to be gigantic. Patrick Young's basslines are perfect..sometimes AC/DC-esque, sometimes some odd flair thrown in to keep you saying "hmmmm." Drummer Pete Holmes doesn't really go off like he can in the studio, but that was the case for a lot of drummers in that era.
The strongest part of this band is their sound as a whole...and the tunes ROCK. Stylisticly, they are heavy, with the famous German producer at the knobs for their first album, but as they progressed, their range widened and they released some GREAT straight ahead hard rock.
Anyway, this is a band worth listening to. In fact, it's probably a good thing they didn't make it big, otherwise they'd probably have the same lack of respect that most of that era's bands enjoy. By the way, LOTS of guys who did make it big don't hesitate to sing the praises of this great band - Gene Simmons, Steven Tyler, Jon Bon Jovi, Sambora, and many more.

I'd like to begin by saying that this is a great compilation of the 4 Black 'N Blue albums from the 80s. If you're looking to re-live the glory days when music was still good, this collection is a must. Maybe it's just me, but I don't care as much for the Gene Simmons produced albums as it appears their style had changed significantly and not for the better. Overall, there isn't a bad song on this compilation. My favorites include "Rockin' On Heaven's Door", "Hold On To 18", "Wicked Bitch", "Without Love", "Miss Mystery", and "Chains Around Heaven." All of those are from the first 2 albums, self-titled and "Without Love." Don't miss out on this one...it's solid rock all the way.

Getting this album is second best to waiting (maybe in vain) for their first self-titled album to be re-released. It's pretty good to get 6 out of its 10 tracks represented on this compilation. Back when it came out, I was totally blown away by each track. They were my second favorite group for a long time, just because of that one album. When Without Love came out, I quickly shelled out the money for the record and I was sorely disappointed. Then came Nasty Nasty, which had only one or two decent songs on it and I gave up on them ever returning to their glory days.
As far as this collection goes, it's worth picking it up just for those six songs and I guess "Rockin' on Heaven's Door" is better than average. But the rest of it is simply bubble gum, beach rock, Def Leppard wannabe stuff. If they kept to the caliber of their first album, their career would have had a lot more longevity than it did.

I cannot lie. I bought this album back in the 80's only because the album cover was so cool and they looked like they could really jam. And you know what I was right this band is the of the best bands I have ever heard, and I cant believe they really never went as far as they should. Shows you how little the record companys know about music. Anyway its here and I stongly suggest purchasing it. If you liked the bands from the 80's you'll definitly love this band. I promise

OK. So they were hit and miss live and they were not were not the most original outfit to come out of the west coast scene in the 80's. I'll give you that. Note for note and song for song these guys were the best pop metal band of that era. Forget Ratt, Motley Crue, Dokken, Cinderella, Bon Jovi, etc. The songs were the most memorable, well crafted, and quality produced (if not over produced) records of that genre. They didn't get their due for several reasons. Bad management decisions & wishy washy label commitment stand out the most. Timing and luck (good and bad) had a lot to do with as well. Do yourself a favor and buy this disc if you don't have any of their CDs and you want a taste of what BnB had to offer. If you don't like 80's pop metal/hard rock at all, don't even bother. It's not for you.

I couldn't believe I could finally get this band on disc. I do have the debut, Without Love and In heat on cassette but had to upgrade to disc. This is well worth the money for this truly talented,underated 80's band. I liked the idea of getting a good mix of some of their best tunes like Hold on to 18, I'm the king, Nature of the beach, Nasty,Nasty and Does she or doesn't she (one of my personal faves). This band should've been as big as Ratt,Crue, Bon jovi etc. Musically and lyrically (these guys could really write some catchy hook laden tunes) they were a cut above the rest. I saw them open for KISS in 1985 (Philly) and they rocked. A shame it was pretty much over after Without love. I remember good times when I put this baby in and crank it. Hey, you will too, I guarantee it!! This is a must addition to any catalog. So open up a cold one and turn it up.....Enjoy!!

Why this band never made it to superstardom I will always wonder. Truly a loss to the music listeners of the world. This CD is a relief for those of us that knew of the band and were nursing a bunch of aging tapes & albums year after year hoping that they would continue to hold up. If you have heard them then you know what I mean when I say that Black n Blue wrote songs with the best of them (the 80's rock genre). If you haven't heard them before then treat yourself to this CD. It's an awesome cross section of the albums that the band released and are now OOP. Hopefully one day all of the albums will be re-mastered & re-released on CD. I've got my hopes up anyway. If you are into the 80's metal then you can't go wrong with anything from this band!

This is one of those albums from one of those bands that weren't exactly on the forefront of success. Yet they were better than many of the bands that were. With songs like "Rockin' on Heaven's Door", "Miss Mystery", and my personal favorite, "Superstitious"; These guys should have been a phenomenol success. Unlike many of the more mainstream bands at the time, Black and Blue had their own unique flavor that truly captured the essence of the 80's rock genre.

There is really not much else I can add to the existing reviews. I have been waiting(impatiently) for someone to finally pick up the ball and release these songs in a digital format. I remember seeing the Japanese imports in England back in the early 90's, but at over $50.00 a whack there was no way I could afford them. So, like everybody else, I've had to rely on vinyl for the last decade. "Rockin' on Heaven's Door" is worth the price of admission alone. For a song that is going on 15 years of age, it still packs one hell of a punch. There is a small amount of cheese here, but overall this release sounds ten times better than the round of crap polluting the airwaves at the current moment. If you miss the days of quality songwriting and hooks the size of Texas, then this will put one HUGE smile on your face. Buy this and discover one of the 80's best kept secrets. You'll love it.

I saw these guys open up for KISS and I was blown away! It's funny, because all I hear is how they never made it big. In my little cirle, they were HUGE! Sometimes I think that's cool, too! I've been into a lot of bands that ended up selling out (Metallica, Megadeth, G 'n R, of course, they burned out more so than sold out!). To this day (and that was '85!), KISS and Black 'n Blue remains one of the best concerts I ever went to! So they never made it big, whatever, that's fine with me because I dig every song they ever released, and this album is indicative of the prowess and HEART Black 'n Blue had. Of course, the next logical step is to release ALL of their original albums on disc (I want it all, and I want it now!).