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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bananarama are still ripe after 20 years!, March 2, 2002
This "Best Of" compilation is in celebration of 20 years of Bananarama. Can you believe that they have been around for 20 years? Although Keren and Sara now perform as a duo, this collection contains tracks with original member Siobhan Fahey and subsequent replacement Jacquie O'Sullivan.Bananarama's original "Greatest Hits Collection", released in 1989, contained most of the hit singles from their (at that point) 4 London Records albums, "Deep Sea Skiving", "Bananarama", "True Confessions" and "Wow!". This updated collection covers a wide range of those tracks but now includes material from their last 2 London releases, "Pop Life" and "Please Yourself". The stand out tracks for me are "I Can't Help It", "I Want You Back", "Only Your Love", "Preacher Man", "Movin' On" and "More, More, More". Not a noteable ommission but I would have like to have seen the 1989 remix of Cruel Summer and perhaps the new versions of "Venus", "Robert De Niro's Waiting" and "I Can't Help It" which can be found on Bananarama's latest studio album, "Exotica". The girls still look fabulous and are apparently looking to make a comeback, although they have never actually split up. I for one am looking forward to it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bananarama always made their music FUN !!!, April 9, 2009
The Very Best of Bananarama has some awesome music from the days when Bananarama hit the airwaves hard with their sizzling music! We all danced to these tunes and they're still fun to dance to today. Bananarama had a great sound that was their own and they remain one of the best "girl groups" of the 1980s although they continued to perform and make great new music even after the 1980s were over. The quality of the sound on this CD is nothing short of excellent; and I love that artwork, too.
"Venus," the opening track on this album, was a huge, huge hit for Bananarama. Bananarama use a great beat for this tune that's intense, catchy and designed to get you moving really fast on that dance floor! This is anything but muzak! "Venus" also uses great effects to enhance the number even more. "Love In The First Degree" is a fine tune that also had us dancing; it's not quite as strong as "Venus" but make no mistake about it--this is still outstanding music with lots of style and energy. Listen also for Bananarama to do an impressive cover of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye;" Steam would be proud! "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a highlight of this album; and I really like "Cruel Summer." "Cruel Summer" got a great deal of airplay and it sounds great even all these years later. I love it!
"I Want You Back" has an upbeat musical arrangement that belies the seriousness of the lyrics; however this all holds its own very well and "I Want You Back" is a great number from this group. "I Heard A Rumour" is one of the biggest hits Bananarama ever had; this tune got so much airplay but we never cared--it sounded fresh, new and exciting every time we heard it and danced to it! "I Heard A Rumour" is a song I could never tire of hearing when Bananarama performs it.
"More, More, More" again shows that Bananarama could really pull off a fine cover; and "I Can't Help It" is another tune that positively exudes fantastic amounts of energy. "It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It" features The Fun Boy Three going along with Bananarama to make an awesome dance tune; and that's pretty special. I also enjoy the 7 inch mix of "Last Thing on My Mind." "Last Thing on My Mind" has Bananarama squarely front and center and they harmonize to perfection for a terrific effect! Listen also for the 7 inch version of "Long Train Running;" this is another great cover song that Bananarama aces as effortlessly as if it were just breathing.
"Help" is a cover of this very famous Beatles tune; and the album ends really well with Bananarama performing a medley of "Venus;" "I Heard a Rumour" and "Love in the First Degree." Wow! What a red hot ending for this CD!
Bananarama fans will certainly want this for their collections; it's a keeper. This is also a pretty good retrospective of the great music Bananarama has put out throughout many years. I also recommend this CD for people who like dance and pop music from the 1980s as well
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really saying something, September 30, 2007
Bananarama is one of my favorite pop groups from the '80s. Their music was a ton of fun to listen to and it still is for me to this very day. I recently got hold of a copy of THE VERY BEST OF BANANARAMA. I never thought about it until recently that the group was a precursor to The Spice Girls but a lot more fun and a lot less stupid. THE VERY BEST OF BANANARAMA is a comprehensive look at the group's past and present hits, with and without Siobhan Fahey. Yeah a lot of the group's songs are corny like "Robert DeNiro's Waiting" and "Nathan Jones" but Bananarama's music has always been a lot of fun to listen for me. My personal favorite songs are when Siobhan was still in the group. I absolutely love "Cruel Summer", "Venus", and "I Heard a Rumor". I don't consider Bananarama a guilty pleasure. I am not ashamed that I was and still am a fan of the British pop group today.
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