Vision Valley

The Vines | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 22, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol Music
• ASIN: B000EMGJJU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,578 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Nearly doomed by frontman Craig Nicholls's erratic behavior--which resulted in a penchant for engaging in onstage violence with his band mates, coping with a debilitating McDonald's addiction, and generally acting like a doped-up donkey (later diagnosed, according to the band's label, as a rare form of mental illness called Asperger's Syndrome)--the Vines are seemingly back on track with their third album. Having shaken the "Australian Strokes" tag, the group is free to fully indulge its Nirvana/Beatles amalgam, moving from compact, rocket-fueled garage rockers like "Gross Out" and the self-defeating "Don't Listen to the Radio," to more relaxed fare, such as the Bowie-esque closer, "Spaceship." But for all the ups and downs, there's still something contrived about them (maybe it has to do with idiotic jingles like "Futuretarded"), making Vision Valley a nice place to visit but hardly somewhere you would want to dwell. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

Vision Valley by The Vines

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do you have a half hour to spare?, April 9, 2006

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vision Valley (Audio CD)

The Vines came out of nowhere with their debut album "Highly Evolved" which got a lot of buzz due to several high-energy tracks, and they followed that up with the "Winning Days" album, which "evolved" naturally from the debut album. But then Craig Nicholls, the Vines' singer-songwriter, couldn't handle the pressure of touring and without that, the album kinda fizzled. Two years later, the Vines are back.

"Vision Valley" (13 tracks, 31 min.) continues the proven formula of short, high-energy tracks, mixed up with more reflective tunes, only now to the extreme. Yes, 13 tracks, in just 31 minutes, with most clocking in under 2 minutes. There are several irresistable sing-along, head-bobbing tunes that grab your attention, including "Don't Listen to the Radio" (first single), the opener "Anysound", and "Gross Out". Then there are the more reflective tracks, such as the title track "Vision Valley", "Take Me Back", and the 6+ min. closer "Spaceship".

The album whizzes by in no time, and before you know it, you want to play it again. Musically, there is no radical departure from the previous albums, and that's a good thing in my book. The Vines have a "winning formula", and they do it well. What remains to be seen is whether the band (and Craig Nicholls in particular) finds the stamina to go on the road. Stay tuned....

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short, to the point, but definitely not sweet, April 5, 2006

By 

wellwellwell (bog) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vision Valley (Audio CD)

If there's one thing you can complain about with The Vines' third album, it's the length. Only 31 minutes? It took me about ten minutes to get home from the record store, and by then I was already midway through "Gross Out"--that's halfway through the album. Of the 13 tracks, seven fail to make it over two minutes. And, if you exclude "Spaceship" (the 6-minute, epic closer), none of the tracks make it past 2 minutes 44 seconds. (In retrospect, their debut was 12 tracks, 43 minutes; Winning Days was 11 tracks, 38 minutes.) But, to be fair, even though the album's over before you know it, it certainly rocks you... Hard.

The great thing about The Vines is how they balance out their albums with the perfect amount of hard rock tunes and the perfect amount of ballads, with a couple of in-betweens. Vision Valley is no exception. "Anysound", "Gross Out" and "F*k Yeh" headline the bang-your-head-and-shout-yeah! tracks; the title track, "Going Gone" and "Spaceship" give you a chance to catch your breath; and "Atmos" gives you the best of both worlds. Sadly, the only thing missing is an "Autumn Shade III". With all that being said, it's obvious this album can compete with their others for your favorite Vines record, albeit in the long run they'll be hard-pressed to outshine the success of their legendary debut. I will say, though, of all 2002's infamous 'The' bands (i.e. White Stripes, Hives, Strokes), The Vines are oodles ahead of all of them in consistently putting out rock-solid albums, without dabbling in some other genre. There's not a bad song on Vision Valley; and, even if you don't like a particular track it'll probably be over in no more than two minutes.

It appears the first single for this album is "Don't Listen To The Radio", which, besides being an amusingly- and ironically-titled first pick, is a great example of the overall sound you're going to get from the entire album. The smart, catchy lyrics and simple message (and let's not forget that it rocks, too) are what we've come to expect from Craig Nicholls and The Vines. So even though Vision Valley may be just a tad over a half-hour in length, it makes up for it with stunning ballads and ear-piercing resonance that can 'damage your health or manage your brain.'

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vision Valley, February 8, 2009

By 

Mark Twain "Sam" (Florida, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vision Valley (Audio CD)

After three albums, it's hard to believe that The Vines' music has not changed one bit. Still recieving comparisons to The Beatles and Nirvana, these energetic Aussies haven't changed anything but bassists since their explosive debut Highly Evolved in 2002. For diehard fans, Vision Valley was just another great album by the band, but the critics obviously disagreed. I think by the time they'd heard Winning Days, the band's sophomroe album, they had had enough and wanted to hear something new (I think we can all agree that it was a breath of fresh air after Winning Days). I'm sure these guys don't care what critics have to say now that they have such a loyal fanbase, but some of us fans would like to hear something new. Vision Valley was a pretty solid album, but I'd like to hear a little bit of experimenting. Also, it would be nice if they could make more songs that last for more than two minutes. It seems that all of their best songs end before you want them to, and when they are long, like "Spaceship" (6:07), they end up sounding dull after a minute or so. I guess that could be my answer...