Where's Neil When You Need Him?

Neil Gaiman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: July 16, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dancing Ferret
• ASIN: B000FP2IXM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,848 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Billboard

Ethereal pop...and world music shine among a quirky mix of styles...expect wild flights of sonic fancy

Product Description

A unique collaboration between a collection of talented musicians and a best-selling author. Seventeen top international acts offer 17 exclusive songs inspired by the diverse work of Neil Gaiman. Includes a lavish 20 page booklet with extensive liner notes from Neil Gaiman about the project and each of the songs and an assortment of all new artwork from Dave McKean, as well as a foreword by Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. The songs on this disc are inspired by Gaiman stories including Coraline, American Gods, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, Stardust, The Goldfish Pool, Sandman, The Wolves in the Walls, Mr. Punch, Mirror Mask and Neverwhere.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspired by & dedicated to Neil, September 27, 2006

By 

Tom Knapp "Rambles.NET editor" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where's Neil When You Need Him? (Audio CD)

Neil Gaiman's vision comes to us in many forms. Sometimes, it's words in a book. In other instances, his imagination is expressed through the hand of an artist or, less often, the eye of a film director. Now, it's coming to us as music.

But, inspiration aside, how's the music? It's good. It's fun. It's moody. It's diverse. I don't love all of the music, but every track honors the source material, and that's saying a lot. The album progresses through a stream of Gaiman's ideas and visions, some direct, some oblique.

There are many musical styles represented here, from goth/metal and medieval rock to folk, electronica and trip-hip. Given the variety of Gaiman's work, it's fitting; as he notes in his introduction to the liner notes, "music was always part of the writing process -- different music for different stories." Frankly, I'm not sure there's variety enough; most of the music here fits into a similar vein of modern/alternative/industrial/pop themes, and I can't help but think Gaiman's stories would inspire a bit of old-world folk here, a baroque riff there, perhaps a touch of jazz or blues. But, considering what the album has rather than what it hasn't, I like the package it makes. It's not necessarily a soundtrack to a little light Gaiman reading, but it's a fair homage to an amazing body of work.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *WOW*!!!, September 1, 2006

By 

M. Duvall "KangiTanka3" (TX, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where's Neil When You Need Him? (Audio CD)

If you are ANYTHING of a Neil Gaiman fan, go out and buy the "Where's Neil When You Need Him?" CD this very instant :~D!!!

Not only does every song tie in *fantastically* with one of his works, including 'The Sandman', 'Coraline', The Wolves in the Walls', 'Mirrormask', 'Neverwhere', 'American Gods' and more, being inspired by them and created and recorded by huge fans, it's *FABULOUS* music in its own right!

Even the stuff here that's not to my taste is extraordinarily well done. But most of it is, and I've found some favourite new songs here, including Lunascape's "Raven Star" (inspired by 'Stardust'), Thea Gilmore's "Even Gods Do" (which is all about 'American Gods') and Voltaire & the Oddz' extraordinarily, perfectly upbeat (considering what Death's all about) "Come Sweet Death"!

The liner notes are extensive and include quite a bit of noodling from the master himself and a lot of insight into the artists' choices of works to base their songs on.

This album has both introduced me to several fabulous new artists and reinvigorated my drive to re-read Gaiman's works that I already have and buy and read those I haven't. And it's fantastic having a soundscape to his literary works :~).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A smashing tribute to Neil, October 25, 2006

By 

Valerie Strilko "gravehearted" (Campbell, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where's Neil When You Need Him? (Audio CD)

I am highly impressed with how clearly the songs reflect Neil's characters. Some comps are merely a collection of released songs, but Where is Neil When You Need Him? contains songs composed specifically for this release. I tend to be critical of comps, but this is chockfull of fabulous little gems.

The highlights for me included:

Joachim Witt's Vandemar (seriously creepy and predatory, much like Mr V), Lunascape's Raven Star (a hauntingly beautiful ethereal melodic dream), Future Bible Heroes' Mr. Punch (quirky, humorous yet sick & twisted) and Cruxshadows' Wake the White Queen (inspired lyrics and totally danceable)

Neil picked the bands who performed on the album, which speaks volumes. This is a must have for Neil fans, especially those of the spooky persuasion.