Useless Trinkets: B Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996-2006 (2CD+DVD) [ENHANCED] [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Eels

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 15, 2008)
• Original Release Date: January 15, 2008
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B000Y2WAL6
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,717 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk
From son of an internationally renowned physicist, to oddball post-grunge one-hit-wonder, to ongoing alt-rock sideshow curiosity you just can’t shut up, to engaging diarist of life at its most interesting, imagined or indeed tormented--Mark Oliver Everett a.k.a. ‘E’ a.k.a. Eels (he is effectively, for all their shape-shifting, the band incarnate) can lay reasonable claim to being one of the most notable American songwriters alive today. And given the already vast, sprawling nature of his 10-year back catalogue it will come as no surprise to discover that a few choice cuts fell between the cracks en-route. And thus, this double collection of Eels rarities, b-sides, session tracks and song re-jigs is about as delightful, if random, as any straight album he’s released. He’s always had too many sides to be a square, but even so it’s surprising to see single songs’ split personalities laid bare and equally dominant here. "Novocaine for the Soul" appears in two pleasingly alternate guises, as spoken word sub-grunge music-box and then playful, vocoder heavy robotic-minimalism, the Shrek-soundtracking "My Beloved Monster" is reinvented three times over, and "Susan’s House" is reborn as suspenseful noir-hip hop in "Susan’s Apartment". And tracks like hoarse, upbeat "Rotten World Blues", lullaby-simple "Taking a Bath in Rust" and twinkling lament "Living Life" are chart-toppers in any other reality. Trinkets are by definition a little useless, they serve no real purpose, yet with the aid of time the opposite often becomes true. Useless Trinkets, like Eels’ career, is much like that. Hold it close. --James Berry

Product Description
Highlights within the 50 CD tracks EELS USELESS TRINKETS: B-SIDES, SOUNDTRACKS, RARITIES AND UNRELEASED 1996-2006 are longtime concert favorite "Living Life" fromthe Daniel Johnston tribute album, the previously unreleased 2006 cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You" and other covers including James Carr's "Dark End of The Street" and Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend." USELESS TRINKETS also includes a large handful of BBC performances, unique live versions of "Novocaine For The Soul" and "My Beloved Monster," tracks from films - The End Of Violence, Holes, Levity and How The Grinch Stole Christmas andmany previously unreleased tracks including the original collections title track which frontman Everett performs backed by a 28 piece orchestra. The DVD features six performances fromthe EELS'Lollapalooza 2006 performance, including a gospel rave-up take on "My Beloved Monster" and a high octane rumble through "Souljacker part I."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Useless - Essential!, February 12, 2008

By	Kort Kramer "Art, Music, Book & Movie Enthusiast" (South Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The EELS.

You love 'em or hate 'em -- there is no middle ground. Their offbeat style of alternative rock with either soothe your soul or abrade it. I am in the former camp. I love the Eels, can't get enough of this intelligent, catchy stuff. Mark Oliver Everett (otherwise known as E) IS the Eels -- no disrespect to the other fine musicians in the band. His presence just overshadows the rest. That is not a bad thing, and the music always comes together in a way that makes it seem like it had to be just so -- all elements from vocals to instrument blend perfectly, nothing overshadowing anything else. At the center of it all is E and his raspy, emotional, insightful and intelligent lyrics. They are the glue that holds the songs together.

I digress, this is supposed to be a review of the Trinkets album. Well, all of what I just wrote still applies.

This is a wonderful collection for the fans, less so for Eels newcomers. For them I would say start with their studio albums (like Daisies of the Galaxy and Electro-Shock Blues) and fall in love with them that way. For the rest of us, this is a treasure trove of rare tracks and alternate takes that Eels fans will eat up! Not every song has the amazing production quality of the Eels studio albums, but for the most part they are quite good. Picking favorites out of the 50 collected tracks is a daunting task. If you are an Eels fan then you know different tracks will resonate more for you on different days. With each disc clocking in at around 75 minutes, there is plenty to enjoy. Live tracks are fun to hear...often getting different treatment than the studio versions. The Moog version of "Novocain for the Soul" is a favorite of mine, as is the rockier version of "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" at the beginning of disc 2 and covers like "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "I Put A Spell On You."

The presentation is wonderful, a richly designed 4-fold digipack with photos from most of the Eels eras. The accompanying book has tons of photos and concept art, and E's commentary about each of the tracks makes the experience all the more enjoyable and enlightening. Also fun is the 6 track Lollapalooza 2006 live performance DVD where the band really rocks out. The hijinks of the "security guard" is also fun to watch. It is an interesting contrast considering the Eels with Strings that was to follow.

All in all, this double CD set does an admirable job of gathering rarities from the Eels first 10 years. I would recommend it to any fan of E and the Eels. I'd also like to recommend Eels with Strings - Live at Town Hall, one of the best concert DVDs I've seen in a while. It makes a nice companion for Trinkets, and their greatest hits so far compilation, Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996-2006, Vol. 1. New-fans should probably start with Meet the Eels before moving on to this album.

4.5 Stars. Here's looking forward to 10 more innovative years!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hidden Gem of the early 90's, March 23, 2008

By	Paul Everett Schlesiger - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's amazing to me as I listen through the Eels large catalog, that most people consider them a one hit wonder band. All of their works have a great range of sound and in depth lyrics that get you lost in E's at times bizarre voice. The B-sides collection is no exception to this. More often than not I buy these listen to them once and they get lost in my cd collection (b-side collections), the Eels collection is an exception to this though. Both the reintepretations of their own and others songs make this a vital part of anyones cd collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars AmazEing, May 27, 2009

By	A. Stannard (Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This may be the best Eels collection yet. I smile every time I hear it. It had great reinterpretations of classic songs and the new stuff is just as quality. It's all you'd expect from E. This is a must-buy for Eels fans.