Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Collection of a Great Band, February 12, 2004
This is a good collection of tracks by one of the great, less heralded bands of the 80's, spawned of course from the breakup of one of the great bands of all-time, Bauhaus. For that reason alone, the CD deserves its 4 stars. However, the selection is imperfect at best and so I can't give it the 5 stars that a "Best Of" Loves & Rockets should garner.The first 4 tracks are all excellent choices; "Kundalini Express" was an underground mega-hit up there with The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Dog End of a Day Gone By" is a wonderful inclusion that thankfully was not overlooked. That leads us to "Yin & Yang the Flower Pot Man", a decent song but not one of the better ones on "Express"; I would have greatly preferred "All in My Mind", especially the brilliant and captivating acoustic version. "Holiday on the Moon" is also unnecessary and should have been scrapped to make way for a song from elsewhere in their catalogue. "So Alive" was their big U.S. hit so it has to be here; it's a good song but it never really represented their sound well in my opinion. "No New Tale to Tell" was one of those great underground singles from the 80's that stands as an alternative classic - Not sure how the 'Donnie Darko' soundtrack missed it actually. The grinding, feedback-laden "No Big Deal" was better than its album-mate "So Alive" and is properly included here; unfortunately the fuzzy, charged-up "Motorcycle" is left off. "Haunted When the Minutes Drag" is another fine inclusion from their first full-length as is the album-ending instrumental "Saudade"; I am very happy they included so many tracks from "7th Dream of Teenage Heaven" but wish they have made room for "God & Mr. Smith" which should have been the replacement for "Holiday on the Moon" or one of the newer songs maybe. "It Could Be Sunshine" is also a great pick with its raucous combination of post-punk and straight punk. Another omission is "The Light" from "Earth Sun Moon", an ominous but mesmerizing piece that is surprisingly catchy. All in all, a fantastic collection that could have been made stronger with a few simple changes. Still, as a big L&R fan in the 80's I know there are better ways to enjoy this band: listen to "Earth Sun Moon", "Express" and "7th Dream..." and also pick up "Everything" or "Night Music" by Tones on Tail - these showcase the band at their best. This album is a decent starting point for news or casual fans but may leave aficionados disappointed.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All aboard..., July 5, 2004
Last year, Love And Rockets finally came out with their best-of compilation. It's worth the purchase for any newcomers to the band since it has lots of their best songs such as Kundalini Express, Dog End Of A Day Gone By, and No New Tale To Tell. It's also essential for the longtime fans too because it has the rare 7-inch versions of Ball of Confusion and Yin & Yang The Flowerpot Man (the ones that were used in the music videos). Plus a single version of "Mirror People" which is way better than the one on their album "Earth Sun Moon". Personally, I didn't think Holiday On The Moon and It Could Be Sunshine should of been included on here, I would of preferred to see All In My Mind, Motorcycle, or If There's A Heaven Above to make the cut but unfortunately they didn't. Well, if you bought this and liked it, I recommened picking up Express next.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some things holy and some things carnal, September 9, 2004
Several of L&R's signature tunes rightfully make their appearance here, along with a couple of questionable selections. My personal favorites are well represented here...the psychedelically-tinged sing-along "Kundalini Express", the mind-altering masterpiece "Yin and Yang and the Flowerpot Man" and the subversive pop classic "No New Tale to Tell", in which Messrs. Haskins, Haskins, and Ash use a flute solo to an even greater effect than one of Ash's savory, understated, yet compelling guitar refrains. While I was happy to see that "Mirror People" and its explosive riffing were included along with the stately tone poem "Haunted When the minutes Drag", I disagree with the inclusion of any of the material recorded after 1989 other than "Sweet Lover Hangover".. If that makes me an elitist urban sophisticate, so be it; but the band took a left turn at a tangent when they flipped over to techno from which they never recovered.
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~ Bauhaus
~ Siouxsie & The Banshees
~ Peter Murphy
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~ Tones On Tail
is one of Love and Rockets' 
