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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine Compilation, but Don't Miss the Early Discs!, December 6, 1999
VOL is a fine compilation for the Vigilantes. While not perfect, this disc serves as an excellent introduction for new listeners and a fun collection of great tunes for die-hard fans.The greatest strength of the album is the selection of songs from previous releases. Sure, every fan can point to a favorite that didn't make the cut, but a disc that packs such classics as Earth Has No Sorrow, River of Love, Skin, Undertow, Losin' It, Struggleville, and Who Know When the Sunrise Will Be cannot be seriously faulted on grounds of song selection. Additionally, while many fans swear by Welcome to Struggleville and Blister Soul, both these discs are flawed albums, one by production and one by weak songs. This discs does a fantastic job of rescuing the one or two classic songs lost on each of those discs, so fans can now own Skin and Struggleville without purchasing their parent CDs. (The only MIA classic from these two albums is 5 Miles Outside of Monroe, but while the song is a terrific rocker, it is not a fan favorite. I understand why it didn't make the list, I just wish it did.) This is an important fuction of a "best-of" collection, and VOL comes through. Still, this great compilation is not flawless. The Vigilantes tend to change their style quite a bit over their career, careening from stark folk to folk-punk to AAA rock, and as a result, their singles simply do not hold together quite as fine as albums like Killing Floor do. This sounds like a number of singles thrown together, and this disrupts the unity of the CD. Perhaps this could have been helped by keeping the songs in chronological order, but I doubt it. Some bands simply make albums so deliciously unified that a sampler can only hint at the greatness of their actual albums. U2 is such a band, and so are the Vigilantes. But the main flaw here are the new, "unreleased" tracks thrown on to entice fans who already own the previously released material. Like most new songs on best-ofs, they are quite a bit weaker than the older songs, especially the Christian hit Double Cure. While many new listeners seized this song as a bit of an anthem, it simply lacks the creative depth of the Vigilante's finest works and sounds more like a Blister Soul outtake (and the song is an outtake) than a song that belongs on a best-of album. While the other new songs are better than Double Cure, I would much rather have a classic like 5 Miles Outside of Monroe, Hotel Room, or Eleanor on here instead. One more additional, minor gripe. I know the new version was a bigger hit, but the original Real Down Town was the superior song. Too bad that was not the one included. But enough nitpicking. This is a terrific sampler of some fantastic albums. I encourage any one enticed by the songs here to search out a copy of Killing Floor immediately. Enjoy!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"V.O.L" is a great introduction to a great band, June 12, 1998
If you are wondering where to start your Vigilantes of Love collection, this is the place. "V.O.L" is a compilation of some of the best tracks from previous albums, and adds four new ones. After listening to this, lead singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee's beautiful expressions of human frailty convinced me to purchase their entire catalog. This collection has some jangle-pop, rock, and folkier stuff with mandolin, etc. Highlights include "Double Cure," "When I'm Broken, See What Happens," and "Skin." After purchasing this one, be sure to get the two albums that follow it: "Slow Dark Train" and "To the Roof of the Sky."
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
L-ike O-ther V-igilantes E-verywhere, March 27, 2004
This compilation starts off with the classic "Struggleville," one of their best songs. It deserves to be played on the radio, even in 2004, 11 years after its original release on "Welcome To Struggleville." Yeah, that's what I'd say to an infant coming out of the womb into this world, "Welcome to struggleville, baby." Before I continue, let me get a myth out of the way. Bill Mallonee, leader of the Vigilantes Of Love, might be a Christian, but his music is not. Its rock music, pure and simple. The reason for hard core VOL fans to buy this cd is to get the four previously unreleased songs: "Double Cure," "And You Drown," "When I'm Broken (See What Happens)," and "Hopeless Is As Hopeless Does." The first two are very good tunes. (The lyrics to Double Cure could contradict my claim in the previous paragraph.) When I first purchased this disc, I thought it was a poor choice of songs considering they had five albums to choose from. I could have selected a better list. But what fan couldn't have? When it comes to what song is good and which one is better is merely a matter of taste and opinion. After all, I'm rarely satisfied with any "best of" by any group; even bands who have enough "hits" to fill a entire record. I never heard of the Vigilantes Of Love when I first saw their "Killing Floor" CD in the store. I was attracted to the name of the band, but still, I put the disc back on the rack and left. On the same day, at a different store, I saw their "Welcome To Struggleville" CD, this time I bought it. When I got home and listened to it, I was hooked. The next day, I went back to the other store and purchased Killing Floor. That was over ten years ago, now I have 18 different discs by them which include studio recordings, a live cd, this compilation, an import, two singles, and a couple of EPs. If I include the two solo cds by Bill Mallonee, that would bring the total count to twenty. (Bill Mallonee has actually released four solo cds after the break-up of the Vigilantes.) My recommendation is to buy this cd and fall in love with the songs "Real Down Town," "Skin," "Glory And The Dream," "Undertow," and "Blister Soul." Then go to Bill's website to find out where he is next performing. Because Mallonee IS the Vigilantes Of Love. VOL were an awesome band to see live. Out of the almost ten times I've seen them, I was never disappointed. So if you get a chance to see Bill Mallonee live, you're getting the next best thing to the Vigilantes; and no doubt he'll have an ex-vigilante or two with him anyway. P.S. I mention this only because I didn't notice it until years after having this compilation and I wouldn't want you to miss out on hearing it. The back cover of the CD cleverly excludes numbering the 16 song titles. That's because they surprise you with a hidden 17th track. Its a trick that works well on fans who bought the CD and programmed only the tunes they didn't already have. Unless you count the song titles and notice they don't match the number 17 on your stereo, or unless you one day let the cd play all the way through, you won't get to hear the hidden track, which is an excellent, unplugged, acoustic version of "Double Cure." But here's the technological catch. If you try to program your stereo to play only song 17, you can't. If you do, all you'll get is five seconds of silence and the cd will end. What they did was link track 17 to 16. You have to either first listen to 16 all the way through, or fast forward through it to get to the hidden track. And when you do, the number seventeen will appear and the song will play. This is a nice creative touch. New fans who listened to the cd all the way through were treated to this other version of Double Cure. Old fans who only programmed the songs they liked, and never listen to the cd all the way through, never knew this song existed right under their nose. I didn't, until 8 years later when I sat down to write this review.
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