Customer Reviews

Wire: Beyond Hamsterdam

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a pretty good collection of tunes from the show, but anyone who's thinking of taking advantage of the special offer Amazon's offering (buy this and the other Wire soundtrack CD, titled "And All the Pieces Matter," at a discount) should be advised that all but two of the tracks on this CD are also on "And All the Pieces Matter" -- the only ones found only on this disc are tracks 7 and 8. So if you buy both CDs together, you're essentially paying the full price of this CD to get two songs.

Hip-hop isn't my bag. Never really has been, probably never really will be. However, being a huge fan of HBO's brilliant The Wire, Beyond Hamsterdam was something I ended up checking out, albeit accidentally. Much to my surprise, a majority of what is featured on Beyond Hamsterdam: Baltimore is actually quite good, and despite whatever one's musical preference may be, Beyond Hamsterdam captures the feel and atmosphere of the hard, urban, Baltimore streets, and the dangerous world that The Wire takes place in. Beginning with Domaje's excellent version of "Way Down in the Hole" (the opening theme song of the series, and the version heard in the openings of season four), and continuing with Rod Lee's "Dance My Pain Away", Ogun's "What You Know About Baltimore", and the surprisingly nearly haunting-esque closer "Assume the Position" by Lafayette Gilchrist; Beyond Hamsterdam is a nearly perfectly companion piece to one of the finest, grittiest shows to ever grace television. All in all, if you are a fan of The Wire, Beyond Hamsterdam is definitely worth checking out regardless of your musical preference.

This is a gritty hard sounding visit to the Baltimore world. If "The Wire" has to end, this is a good way to remember the "HOOD". The music is as hard as the characters and the streets in Bmore!

If you are a fan of the show then you will at least like it, if not love it. For those of you wondering what all the buzz is about around the show and soundtrack, watch the show first.