Cruel Summer

Ace Of Base

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 14, 1998)
• Original Release Date: July 14, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arista
• ASIN: B000008UUI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,857 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Pop > Euro Pop > Swedish Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
"All That She Wants," the song that catapulted the photogenic Swedish quartet to the Top 10 in the early '90s, was impossible to escape--it kept popping up on radio and prime-time TV shows, and even in novels. Despite the inevitable Abba comparisons--and the fact that the music was crafted in that sugary pop fashion that seldom lasts past the first single--Jenny, Linn, Jonas, and Ulf refused to disappear. They followed up their debut album, The Sign, with The Bridge, the songs on which--"Beautiful Life," "Lucky Love"--headed more and more toward lollipop dance, and it is there that they pick up with their third release, Cruel Summer. It is hard to label this collection of syncopation and radio-friendly melodies as anything more than fun, but that's just fine with Ace of Base. As they've pointed out in the past, "A good song is a good song." These songs--as exemplified by the light, upbeat groove of the title track--are just as apt to convince their fans likewise. --Rebecca Wallwork

Entertainment Weekly
There isn't a note out of concordant place.…

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IT WAS A CRUEL SUMMER FOR THE ACE OF BASE GANG!, November 13, 2003

By	S. Quinto (Guatemala, Guatemala) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Yes! sadly their third and best record got the attention of the size of a peanut. Even though the leading single "Cruel Summer" climb all the way to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, it didn't help to catapult the album to Gold status. And it's such a shame, because "Cruel Summer" is a clever album of Pop, the 11 tracks here are not even near to forgeattable, they're well constructed with innovative beats and incredible meaningful having fun lyrics. The highlights of this album could come in many flavors, for example "Everytime It Rains" it's a very emotional ballad, that features the girls best vocals ever. "Don't Go Away" another hit ballad that should have gone high on the AC charts. The uptempo songs are presceded by the lead single "Cruel Summer" and "Whenever You're Near Me", so this third combo could satisfied your appetitte for great done POP.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It is a Cruel Joke, December 10, 2002

By	"chatmaster20" (Mesa, Az United States) - See all my reviews

Flowers is another masterpiece by one of the best pop group ever. Arista, AOB's recording company in the US, amazingly found a way to release an awful version of Flowers in the US. They should have called it Cruel Joke, rather than Cruel Summer. The album is missing a few songs from the original version, and many songs are much weaker remakes. It seems like Arista is doing everything possible to doom AOB's success in the US. You should definitely buy European versions of AOB cds.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Variations..., December 28, 1999

By	B. Douglas (Georgia) - See all my reviews

If you're not into a little change, and follow on, then you're not a true AOB fan. Romantis, is an absolute dancing jewel. This song is really fashioned from a dream land paradise.. and can get you going. Cruel Summer's hot popularity in the mid nineties overshadowed some of the best music mixes on the CD... Want something fast and real? Tokoyo Girl, stands on its own as a pure dance theme mix that rivals the talents of the finest song writers in the music industry. While Adventures in Paradise and Every time it Rains are still played daily on pop music stations everywhere, Whenever You're Near Me, and Cecilia lay in the background, just waiting for a kind ear. These last two of the best "relax city" beats that I've heard in years... and the nice thing is, is that you can actually dance to them.. or just lay back and listen and enjoy.

It's really a great CD. I'm really looking forward to more new songs from AOB.