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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the gift, November 26, 2002
Everyone who likes Bjork has been tussling with the same problem these last weeks : can I shell out $50 for alternate tracks of music I already possess?
Short answer : Yes, definitely.
Long answer : Bjork, too, seems aware of the silliness of boxed sets, alternate masters and such, so whatever minimal redundancy there is here (e.g. 'Venus As A Boy' again) is hugely compensated by the wealth of new and superb material.
The twelve song 'Greatest Hits' (chosen by Bjork) takes two songs off each of her albums, so you are not 'wasting' 'Debut' or 'Telegram'; the 'Beats' disc covers early tentative versions of songs we know well, often with a hesitancy and delicacy missing in the established songs; the 'Roots' discs will be new to all but the most dedicated Bjorkperson - even there, the versions of Birthday' by Sugarcubes is sung in Icelandic!!
And finally, for people like myself who were stunned by the Brodsky Quartet's take on 'Hyperballad' from telegram, we get a ten song concert with only strings and voice.
Possibly the best things Bjork has ever released?In all, a very generous set of music, constantly surprising and delightful, which also makes a very understated point of what a complex and serious musical force Bjork is. The packaging is lovely, too, though as a 46 year old man trying to balance the powder-pink box on my knee and then juggling with all the little bits of paper and artwork, I must have looked an odd sight - like some Japanese schoolgirl unpacking her sushi on the metro.
Wait till you get home to unwrap it.
Five stars is not enough.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting, but overpriced with a few sprinkled gems, September 22, 2004
So i finally bought this box set a few weeks ago. It took me this long because I was always skeptical about the price. Now that I have it, i can say that, yes, it IS too much money for what it contains. It's a great item, but should have been at least twenty bucks less!
CD 1 is the first "roots" cd. it contains 2 previously released b-sides from the "Big Time Sensuality" single, "Sidasta Eg" and "Glora". I think "Sidasta Eg is a great song, it is sung in Icelandic, however. "Glora" is a short instrumental track in which Bjork plays the flute, there's not really much to it. The other 3 tracks are from Bjork's participation in the bands Kukl and The Sugarcubes. The only one that really stood out to me was "Ammaeli" (track 4) which I thought was a cute song, even though I have no idea what it is about!
CD2 is the second "roots" CD. The first track is an alternate version of "Immature" that I think might have been a demo version before it was produced by Howie B. for the HOMOGENIC album, since this version is sometimes credited as 'Bjork's Version'. This is a great, stripped-down version of the song which really emphasizes the vocals and piano. It was previously only available on the UK "Joga" CD Singles. Track 2 is a previously unreleased alternate version of "Cover Me", which might also be a demo. It didn't really blow me away, but it's nice to hear a difference.
Track 3 is a great live version of the "Hidden Place" b-side, "Generous Palmstroke", track 4 is a Strings and Vocal version of "Joga" (previously available on the single), and track 5 is the previously released b-side "Mother Heroic", which I think is one of the best Bjork B-sides and I'm really glad of it's inclusion here.
CD3 is the "beats" CD. Tracks 2-5 are previously released B-sides "Karvel" (from the "I Miss You" single), "I Go Humble" (from the "Isobel" single), and "Nature Is Ancient" (from the "Bachelorette" single, although it was actually called "My Snare" on that disc, and not "Nature Is Ancient", but it's still the exact same song.) The REAL gem on this disc, and dare I say it, the ENTIRE box set, is track 1 on this disc, the demo version of "The Modern Things" (previously UN-released). I've always liked this song, and this version from 1991 is SO much better! It just has this whole other dimension than the version which appeared on the POST album. The discovery of this track was worth the whole box set for me. If you don't end up getting this box, at least try to hunt down this track. I'm surprised for a disc titled "beats" they didn't include any dance remixes, like "Violently Happy" or "Big Time Sensuality". Or even "Army of Me!"
cd4 and 5 are the "strings" cd's featuring 9 songs (total) performed with the Brodski Quartet, all of these previously unreleased on audio CD. The strings do MIRACLES to "The Anchor Song", which, before I heard the version included here, was one of my least favorite Bjork songs ever. But this version is so damn beautiful, the strings and bjork's new vocals make it sound like such a sad song. I love this track. "Hunter" also sounds AMAZING with a full-lenght strings accompaniment. pure gorgeousness. The other tracks are "Unravel" (also great), "Possibly Maybe", "Cover Me" (Interesting), "All Neon Like", "Bachelorette", "I've Seem It All" and "Play Dead" (Great).
Disc 6 is the "Greatest Hits" as chosen by Bjork, which I never listen to because all of the songs are on the other albums. It's interesting to see what Bjork chose, but i think this disc was unecessary and maybe could have been replaced by something else. All the trakcs here are album versions except "All is full of love" which is the video version. FYI-Did you know that the video version is ACTUALLY the original version and the version on the HOMOGENIC album is the remix?! I did not know this until I read an interview that Bjork did. Apparently she wanted a different version for the album as she described: "the mood after a thunderstorm". Interesting indeed.
The Packaging: Great Idea, but yeah, it's difficult to re-close properly. I love the 3" mini CD's, and the artwork is interesting as well
So...
should you get it? If you're a hardcore fan who likes to hear rarities and alterante versions, YES. If you're a casual fan, mmm, maybe not. Just stick with the regular Greatest Hits (which, in my opinion, SHOULD have included "Violently Happy"!)
Check out the VOLUMEN DVD too
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A release for the fans, November 27, 2002
Now, "Family Tree" is not a bad release. I enjoyed it very much, and gets my personal four stars. But occasional Bjork listeners should definitely skip this box set, and opt for the much cheaper, more general "Greatest Hits" album. On the other hand, fans will enjoy the opportunity to hear early Bjork demos and songs she did with the Icelandic-punk bands the Sugarcubes and KUKL. The definite high point of "Family Tree," however, is the highly anticipated Strings CD's, whose songs are taken from a concert in which Bjork performed accompanied only by the Brodsky Quartet. Here, her songs are reduced to sketches, with her beautiful voice clearly the focus. Without the digital atmospherics of her albums, her simple poetic lyrics take center stage. These two CD's make up nine of the thirty-five total tracks on this release.
In all: if you've been looking forward to hearing the unreleased demos and live performances, get this. If you're a casual listener, save your money, because you probably won't be interested.
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