Customer Reviews

Walking on Thin Ice

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

c'mon, duane. why do you have the time to write 1-star reviews for albums you probably haven't even heard? jump on the bandwagon; "yoko sucks." actually, i quite like her. sure, she can be difficult, but she also can be an acquired taste. if you don't like her, you're not going to like her. reviews are superfluous. don't bother reading them - including this one.

however, if you are willing to experiment and are truly a fan of alt-rock (not the green day swill that duane seems to prefer, thus setting his age at around 9), try it out. buy it used. sell it to someone else if you don't like it.

but you WILL have a reaction, which is the point of music, isn't it? you might hate it. so be it. you might love it. good for you! you might say, "huh?" ok, so you took a chance.

here's a dare; buy john coltrane's "blue trane" and "interstellar space." most fans of jazz would like the first and hate the last. but if you have an open mind, you might hear something of value in both.

so to quote someone familiar:

"if it don't feel right, you don't have to do it. just leave a message on the phone and tell [duane] to screw it."

peace out, ono sideball.

Yoko Ono's greatest hits album serves to showcase her attainment of the latest apex of female musical/vocal artistry, the current reigning Diva Superior. Earlier plateaus in the art -- Garland, Streisand, Sills, LuPone, Judy Collins -- have now been surpassed, completely eclipsed, by this dynamite performer whose body of work is unparalleled in the history of music. This is the last "female vocalist" CD you will ever have to buy, as you will immediately fall in love with its magical tunes and mystical lyrics (brought to us via the incomparable instrument of Yoko's voice).

By this today. Value it, cherish it, love it.

I bought this record about six months ago and I've listened to it at least every week since. The song "Walking on thin ice" IS indeed a masterpeace, there is no question about it. This is truly a fresh sound. AND Yoko's musik grows on you, believe me, I like it more and more. If you just keep an open mind it can change your life! I use "thin ice" as my very own "theme song"

If you became a Yoko fan in recent years and can't find Yoko's earlier albums this complilation is great.

Well, before anyone laughs at the idea. Yoko has only had two songs that can truly be considered hits, 1981's Walking On Thin Ice (which was remixed and topped the dance chart last year) and 1985's Hell In Paradise, both of which are phenomenal tunes. The rest of the set is a "best of". However, this is all up for debate.

Among the songs unfairly left out include My Man (immortalized on an episode of Beavis And Butthead), I Want My Love To Rest Tonight, Never Say Goodbye, O'Sanity (only 1 minute long but memorable), Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him and I'm Moving On. This cd is more of a taster for the Onobox (which is sadly out of print) than a standalone best of Yoko collection.

Until the day comes where a comprehensive 2-disc "Very Best Of Yoko Ono" comes out (that fills in the gaps missing on this, and also adding tracks from Rising and Blueprint For A Sunrise), this is as good as you can go without forking over $150+ for copies of the Onobox set.

This CD was actually intended as more of a sampling of Onobox-Yoko's 6 CD box set-than as a greatest hits collection. Either way, it's an awesome collection of songs. Probably my favorite would have to be the 1985 Dance hit "Hell In Paradise", released here in a new remixed form, making it all the more better. The haunting "Walking On Thin Ice" is an awesome Rock track, with distorted guitar work by John Lennon (which would sadly prove to be the last time he played a guitar), and a dance beat to go along with it. Yoko's vomiting sounds just help exemplify the way people felt when John Lennon was assassinated. The bluesy "Death Of Samantha" features awesome guitar work (either by Lennon or Wayne Gabriel), and a beautiful saxophone played by Stan Bronstein. This instruments really help the song establish a setting of Yoko on stage in a bar filled with food, beer, and cigarette smoke. The beautiful "Spec Of Dust" is featured on this collection, perhaps a highlight of her 1982 "It's Alright" album. Other classics are the ultimate feminist anthem "Woman Power", the funky "O'Oh" (on which the vocals were recorded in 1992 just for the compilation), the gentle "Don't Be Scared", and the rocking "She Gets Down On Her Knees". There are some flaws about this, however, and it comes more from the lack of the material than of the songs choosen. i feel that Yoko sort of ignored her 80's efforts on this compilation, most specifically "Starpeace" and "It's Alright". There are some classics on those albums that definitely deserved to be on this, such as "Cape Clear", "Loneliness", "My Man", "The King Of The Zoo", and especially "Never Say Goodbye". Maybe this is because Yoko wanted us to buy the ultimate collection "Onobox", which is on the top of my current wish list. (Unfortunately, my birthday is about 7 months away. LOL) Anyhow, i think this album does a great job of showcasing Yoko Ono's (commercial) talent in music.

For those of you who don't know, Yoko actually can hold a tune and sing her heart out. She's always been shown yelping or whaling in those old clips on documentaries or interviews. She can get down with a great groove, rock or jazz it up or sing a gentle ballad tenderly. She sometimes doesn't always have perfect pitch but the emotion is always clear. All in all, a terrific listen if you can handle her screeching and animal sounding noises she embellishes her music with.

Julius-Allan

I can not say enough about this compilation of absolutely stunning material. It is a must have for all those who are even remotely interested in Yoko and her unique style. It is an educational experience to listen to this entire CD and one which can not be described in words. She is a living legend and a genius. This is a work of art!

This was the first thing by Ono I had ever heard. Aside from her work on Milk and Honey and Double Fantasy, she was totally foreign to me; and thankfully I got a pleasant suprise listening to this.

As someone who has also heard other Ono work, however, this does poorly as a "best of" collection. A lot of the weaker tracks (You're the One, Woman Power, Sleepless Night, Midsummer New York) could be replaced with the likes of Move On Fast, Approximately Infinite Universe, Listen The Snow Is Falling, Hard Times Are Over, and maybe It Happened (and Toilet/Telephone Piece for humor). And that's just what had been in existance before '92. If this was released today, it really needs tracks from her "Rising" album and the title track should be replaced with the remix that hit #1 in 2003.

For an introduction to Yoko Ono, I reccomend Double Fantasy or Milk and Honey since it also has Lennon tracks on it that are worth the money. For an introduction to solo Ono, just get Approximately Infinite Universe or Season of Glass.

Despite what fellow reviewer John Abramson may believe, Yoko's "best of" is several notches above inadvertently incompetent/naive musical works; Yoko was working within a very hostile cultural paradigm. Like many others, John seems too ready to laugh at different sensibilities. There are some really great tracks to be found here, and it is a very valid alternative listen to the homogenised pap of commercial music.