Customer Reviews

Where's Neil When You Need Him?

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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

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 :~).

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.

I really liked the lyrics on virtually all the songs. It seemed that the artists truely had something to express about Gaiman's writings. I was torn on some of the bands that played the songs, however I appreciate that they had something to say in their own unique styles. I was exposed to new artists and came away with an appreciation for THEIR appreciation, even if I disliked the music. I reread Good Omens, Coraline and American Gods just because I picked up the CD, LOL.

This CD has been in regular rotation in my car lately; a nice compilation of music by various bands, all tracks about Neil Gaiman's stories. Some of my personal favorites include Rasputina's "Coraline", and Tapping the Vein's "Trader Boy".
"Even Gods Do" got me to start re-reading (I don't know how many times now) American Gods. Ego Likeness, who I'm starting to search for more tracks of, has a song based off of Stardust (again re-read at least twice since purchasing this cd.)
There are still a few tracks on the cd I've not been able to fully appreciate yet. They've just not come up to what I'd expect.
To be honest, I'm glad there's a balance between stories...at least it's not a compliation all from the sandman novels..

For anyone who's read a Neil Gaiman comic, short story or novel, this collection of fan music will appeal to you. The music is top-notch and blends well with Gaiman's stories. In the way of bonus material, not only does the artists leave liner notes, but Gaiman responds about each song.

Give yourself a treat, this cd is an unusual mix of well known bands/artists( The Cruxshadows, Tapping the Vein,Tori Amos) and some new names,(Azam Ali, Thea Gilmore, Deine Lakaien) though all have caught the 'feel' of Neil Gaimans writing in each of the songs.
Any way how many times are you going to purchase a black cd.
Odd, dark and entertaining much like the man himself.

I was very satisfied with my purchase. The cd is very dynamic in the contents of bands. Ego Likeness and Tapping the Vein being my favorite ones on there. I would recommend this to someone who has an open ear to different styles of music. The cd requires a developed and aquired taste.

I found this CD due to following Neil Gaiman's work. I was thrilled to find such a varied and well made collection of music. It had many singers that I already enjoy their music, but also introduced me to other impressive artists.

This CD is a must have for any Neil Gaiman fan. And I would highly recommend it to anyone who would like a good CD. Listen to the samples and buy the CD soon. I had a hard time finding this CD. Most places seem to not have it in stock. If you find it, buy it soon. It's well worth the money and the time.

Overall, I find myself disappointed with this album. I expected it to be more diverse in musical styles. It's not the the songs are necessarily bad, but after a while I would welcome any song that was not a Goth dance track. The songs which probably would be my favorites are both in German, which does take something away for me. I rushed out and bought this at release, but I probably wouldn't pay full price for it if I had it to do over again.