Bjork - Greatest Hits

Björk

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B00006F852
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,352 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Compiled via a fan survey conducted on her Web site, Björk's Greatest Hits eschews presenting the tracks in chronological order, making for a jumbled ride through the vocalist's unique, twisted, and frequently brilliant discography. A few welcome surprises surface, including EP remixes, a rarity (the 1993 David Arnold collaboration "Play Dead"), and the previously unreleased "It's in Our Hands," a clever blip-pop number that would have fit nicely on either 1997's Homogenic or 2001's Vespertine. Starting off with a dreamy remix of "All Is Full of Love," the collection contrasts giddy dance-pop like "Hyperballad" (from the wonderful Post) with the brooding thump of "Army of Me" and Debut's "Human Behaviour," while injecting liberal doses of experimental ballads such as "Joga" and "Pagan Poetry." Some choices will grate on the nerves of purists (the sans strings mix of "Hyperballad"), and it would have been nice to hear something from Selmasongs, but with Björk's incredibly consistent discography to work from, it's impossible to screw up a retrospective compilation such as this. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description

All of Bjork's biggest hits and best-known songs, the songs that are sure to be familiar even to people who think they don't know Bjork's music, plus one track recorded for this release, 'It's In Our Hands'. Compiled by fans in a unique website vote. Gatefold sleeve. Elektra. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars anyway you look at it..., November 22, 2002

By	Damien Bjorn Ruud (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bjork is stubborn. She has admitted as much in many instances during her career. Although this was technically a fan-votes there is a very high probability that she left out It's Oh So Quiet and Violently Happy because they are songs which would probably have insulted her ego and her legacy. But the rest of the songs make up for this gaffe of willfullness.

Heavily influenced by classical music, 11 of these tracks use orchestral instumentation of some type or another, Bjork's music is driven by her unique voice, a selection of programmed beats, and the genre of which she studied as a child.

Here's to another 10 years of creativity. I wonder if there will be another Greatest Hits collection at the end of that epoch?

PS: Don't buy Family Tree. While a effort that appears noble in concept, it is simply not worth the price for what is offerred.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gudmundsdottir's Greatest (4.5 stars), February 9, 2003

By	Antonio Robert (Slovakia, Europe) - See all my reviews

Pounding beats and refreshing electronica, lovely strings and weird sounds that appear just made for her, these are glimpses of special and hard-to-imitate music the artist known as Bjork writes and performs.

When Bjork Gudmundsdottir stormed the music scene in 1993 with her "Debut" album, she immediately became one of the most unique popular artists. Also her style of singing, pronouncing English words and intonation became instantly recognisable, as it already was, in fact, during her previous years with The Sugarcubes.

With each and each new release, the singer/songwriter/instrumentalist/producer brought something new, which made all of her albums great and unlike one another.

Bjork's fans decided via a website poll which songs should be chosen for this collection. Their selection is truly representative, although her most successful single release, "It's Oh So Quiet", is missing, as are pieces from the "Dancer In The Dark" movie -- of which al least the duet with Thom Yorke "I've Seen It All" would fit here nicely.

Anyway, what's here is top quality. From "Debut", here is her first single ever, the haunting "Human Behavior", danceable "Big Time Sensuality", cosmopolitan "Venus As A Boy" and smash cooperation with David Arnold, "Play Dead" (extra track on later release of "Debut").

"Post", released in 1995, ushered in the menacing, yet memorable "Army of Me" and wistful "Hyperballad". Also "Isobel" and "Possibly Maybe" add colours to the varied palette.

From "Homogenic" (1997), we have here symbolic "Joga", euphoric "Bachelorette", the stunning hit "All Is Full Of Love" (great to open this set) and sound-scaping "Hunter", where you can literally hear the drums of the hunters off to catch something.

"Vespertine" (2001) contributed two cuts, enchantingly cold "Pagan Poetry" and pulsing "Hidden Place". The final track, "It's In Our Hands" was first to appear on "Vespertine", but in the end was replaced by "It's Not Up To You" and thus had its place reserved as the only new studio official release for the "Greatest Hits".

To illustrate what Bjork means: in a recent Reader's Digest 30-question poll in Europe, one of the three most frequently correct answer was; from which country the singer Bjork comes. From Iceland, of course.

Her popularity will never bring Iceland that much (in terms of money) as Abba once brought Sweden. But if a singer ever put his/her country more on the map in people's eyes, it's Bjork -- by far the best known Icelander.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly Baffling, January 4, 2003

By	"yadoking" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

I first discovered Bjork by buying Vespertine on winter day, after seeing Dancer in the Dark a while ago, and from that day on, I never turned back, enchanted by this woman's voice a buying Homogenic, Selmasongs, and Post so far, all wonderful albums. Only a few songs I didn't like at first hearing, but I listened to the ones I didn't like over and over, and I started to realize all of them were good. I never skip tracks when listening to a Bjork CD.

Yet lookie here, Bjork's Greatest Hits, nothing you have to make yourself like, just a wonderful summary of Bjork's wonderful songs! Though they are drawn from a variety of sources (Debut, Post, Homogenic, Vespertine) which are all completely different, the Greatest Hits album has drawn them all into a cohesive whole.

1. All Is Full of Love

Using the video version, which added more beats and structure, it remains one of Bjork's most elegant, sustained, yet powerful pieces. If you listen to the lyrics you feel better about everything around you.

2. Hyperballad

Yay! Wee! This is the Bjork song I'm most frequently humming to myself, the one that I use to convert new fans. Everyone who has heard this song that I know likes it alot.
Morbid lyrics, but a confident and happy output. Great name, ain't it?

3. Human Behavior

Like something out of West-side-story almost, with finger snapping and catchy melodies. Love it.

4. Joga

A tribute to iceland, the strings in this song last in your head for weeks and weeks. Amazing.

5. Bachelorette

Great lyrics, deservedly one of the most popular of Bjork's songs. Seeing the Utena anime music video of it just made it all the better!

6. Army of Me

Crashing beats, a crashing good time, a perfect moment of righteous anger.

7. Pagan Poetry

My second favourite Bjork song ever. The first time I heard it, I was caught by the raw bass line, the lyrics, her beautiful singing, the harps, and the music boxes. Transcendent.

8. Big Time Sensuality

Really catchy song, one of the few Bjork songs that make me want to get up and dance. (of course, I haven't heard Debut yet, but still.)

9. Venus as a Boy

One of the perhaps maybe a little weaker moments in the album. Interesting lyrics, singing, and orchestration... but doesn't she sound a tiny bit bored while singing this?

10. Hunter

One of my top 5 Bjork songs, with the relentless marching beats and some of Bjork's most powerful singing.

11. Hidden Place

The opening track on Vespertine which got me hooked to her, from the first beats which are so much more complex than anything I've heard and even more complex than any beats from any of her previous albums.

12. Isobel

Gives great, stark imagery. Great to listen to while reading fantasy or something like that. A prelude to bachelorette and a postlude to Human Behaviour, if I'm not mistaken.

13. Possibly Maybe

The least accessible song on this album, but taking the time to listen is worth it. The lyrics will get you in the end. The opening is a little too stick -in your head. It was repeating in my mind over and over and over for quite a while, though it's good, it shouldn't do that. o_O

14. Play Dead

Powerful. Sticks in your head. Too bad it was written for an awful movie, the Young Americans.

15. It's in Our Hands

My favourite Bjork song ever, and the only new song on this album. I heard it first when downloading the Music Video off her site, and I was stunned by the beauty of it. From the beats to the amazingly wise lyrics (Cruelest, almost, always to ourselves, it musn't get any better, it's in our hand, it always was), everything comes together into a most magical whole. If songs like this are in the future of Bjork, I will remain utterly spellbound by her for years to come.

Note: Some tracks from Selmasongs, like I've Seen it All and In the Musicals would have been nice. The ignoring of a great album isn't that nice.

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