Walls Came Down: Best of

Call | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 11, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B000001G0W
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,421 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. War Weary World

2. There's A Heart Here

3. Doubt

4. Upperbirth

5. Flesh And Steel

6. Waiting For The End

7. The Walls Came Down

8. Turn A Blind Eye

9. Modern Romans

10. Back From The Front

11. Destination

12. Violent Times

13. All About You

14. Scene Beyond Dreams

15. Tremble

16. Delivered

17. Heavy Hand

18. One Life Leads To Another

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Walls Stand Strong, October 23, 2003

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Walls Came Down: Best of (Audio CD)

The Call made three albums of fervent rock in the early eighties that caught some notice for their nervy energy and passionate lyrics. When I was in college, my college station began discovering the intense "War Weary World," and the song caught on with our listeners so strongly that the local rock station was forced to add it to their rotation...that's how strong it resonated with those that heard it. (And this was a station that had Ozzy's "Crazy Train" in a heavy rotation at the time.) That first album, represented here by 6 songs, was as dramatic a statement made by any band of the period (U2 always sprang to mind when I listened to the album). From the deadpan "Yeah, we've seen it all before" line behind lead singer Michael Been's righteous vocal on "War Weary World" to the stark questioning of "Doubt," The Call were obviously a band to be reckoned with. By the time the second album came out, they'd toughened up enough to hammer out an MTV anthem with "The Walls Came Down." They had begun forming a fan base of such luminosity that Garth Hudson (of The Band) had become a member by this time. His keyboards helped give The Call some diversity and propelled such numbers as the instrumental "Destination." Been's songwriting was also quickly turning more and more pointed, with "Turn A Blind Eye" continuing the political acuity that "War Weary World" delivered on the debut.

Unfortunately, internal turmoil made 1984's "Scene Beyond Dreams" a transitional record. You can hear the focus shift on such tracks as "Tremble" and "Delivered," which sport a dated sound and feel less like a band than the first two albums' songs on this collection. It is also the album where Been began his spiritual journey that would gel on the albums to follow. Struggling with conflicts between Christianity and a formidable dose of rock cynicism (much like U2, Bob Dylan, Bruce Cockburn and Peter Gabriel), The Call had begun crafting songs that explored this rift with sincerity and power. Despite the indistinct production, these five songs from "Scene Beyond Dreams" are still powerful statements about the human condition.

By this time, however, there was enough tension that the band went dormant for two years, switched labels and stormed back with the incredible "Reconciled" in 1986. A singer as forceful and passionate as Been just could not be relegated to video pabulum. He and his bandmates always understood that rock, for many of us, could still make the world shift on its axis, if for only three and a half minutes. This early document of a largely unsung band is a must for those who respect deeply personalized, spiritual rock.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too many great songs left out-but worth it anyhow, January 28, 2003

By 

KNO2skull "kn02skull" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walls Came Down: Best of (Audio CD)

This album is indeed great, including excellent songs such as 'War Weary World' and 'Flesh and Steel', unfortunately, a more accurate 'Best of the Mercury Years', would nearly have to be twice the size of this CD. Granted, The Call did only 3 albums with Mercury, yet this 18 song compilation left out some truly great songs and carried on some that weren't necessarily the best of the possible selections. Apparent in the songs left out were 'Time of Your Life' from 'Modern Romans' and the excellent 'Bandits' from the epynonamous first album. In fairness, only 4 songs are not included from the first album, and only 3 from 'Modern Romans', with another 5 missing from 'Scene Beyond Dreams', which is admittedly, the weakest of the three. This collection tantalizes you with an idea of a complete release of these albums, which would only require a two CD set and adding the other nine songs. Come on, Mercury Records-show the love! In value, most of these songs are grandious in their New Wave Southern Rock sound, with etherial lyrics by Michael Been. It is the only place currently to get these songs easily on CD, and worth the money for this point.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heed the Call, they will take you higher., July 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Walls Came Down: Best of (Audio CD)

Wanna hear the Talking Heads, the Cars, U2, Men At Work - type songs done really well, but aren't really those bands, and a major helping of the band doing other songs of theirs that sound like nobody BUT the Call? It's here on this recap of the early music these guys put out. The production is good, the selections just right. Some of the smooth, insightful lyrics remind me of a young John Lennon, after the teeny-bop; angy, socially/politically consious without being pretentious,as always delivered with Been's enthusiastic and uncannily expressive voice. In fact, some of their guitar/melody hooks were Beatle-ishly catchy. Flashes of great song-writing invade a cd laced with material that's good without them. Listen to the lyrics closely a few times to see how simple but sweetly true they are, then sit back and enjoy how smartly they're captured within the music. Yes, they were young and angry, but weren't we all at birth? And just like any other child full of promise, delightful!