| | Rush CD Rush Discography of CDs
 (12 Customer Reviews)
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Rush: Geddy Lee (vocals, bass); Alex Lifeson (guitar); John Rutsey (drums).
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Alex Lifeson (vocals, guitar); John Rutsey (vocals, drums).
Audio Remixer: Terry Brown.
Recording information: Eastern Sound; Toronto Sound Studios, Toronto, Canada.
Photographer: Glenn Wexler.
Arrangers: Geddy Lee; John Rutsey; Alex Lifeson; Rush; Andrew Jackman.
Rush's self-titled debut is about as uncharacteristic of their renowned heavy progressive rock (perfected on such future releases as Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, etc.) as you can get. Instead of complex arrangements and thoughtful lyrics, Rush sounds almost identical to Led Zeppelin throughout -- bluesy riffs merged with "baby, baby" lyrics. The main reason for the album's different sound and direction is that their lyricist/drummer, Neil Peart, was not in the band yet, skinsman John Rutsey rounds out the original line-up, also consisting of Geddy Lee (bass/vocals) and Alex Lifeson (guitar). It's nearly impossible to hear the anthemic "Finding My Way" and not picture Robert Plant shrieking away, or Jimmy Page riffing on the jamfest "Working Man," but Rush was still in their formative stages. There's no denying that Lee and Lifeson were already strong instrumentalists, but such predictable compositions as "In the Mood" and "What You're Doing" prove that Peart was undoubtedly the missing piece to the puzzle. While longtime Rush fans can appreciate their debut because they never returned to this style, newcomers should stick with their classics from later years. ~ Greg Prato
The opening chords of "Finding My Way" signal the beginning of a song, album, and career that would have a permanent place in rock history. The debut album from the Canadian progressive metal outfit features drummer John Rutsey who, although a talented drummer, would quit after this album to be replaced by Neal Peart. Peart contributed to the band's songwriting progression and use of time changes.
Out of the eight songs here, four are considered Rush classics. "Finding My Way" and "What You're Doing" both contain killer guitar riffs, while Geddy Lee's high pitched vocal endeared him to Rush fans the world over. "In the Mood" is symbolic of the band's early material, which is more rock & roll party oriented, as opposed to the sophisticated lyrics of the Peart era. "Working Man" concludes the album and is a metal masterpiece. It's a fast and furious tune, complete with lyrics that every blue-collar male can relate to. Though RUSH is far from the band's greatest achievement, it's an excellent self-produced debut from a band that has never stopped evolving.
Rush Music Review Average Rating: (4.6 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews "Good debut album"
For a debut album,this is a different,but good effort by the band.These are just simple and basic,hard rocking tunes.Of course what turned me on to the album was the song "working man",but there are a few more that deserve listening to.I also like "take a friend","finding my way",and "what your doing".No mysticism here just basic good hard rock."GIVE THE CD A LISTEN",you'll be glad you did.
Submitted by Mark ("Wichita,KS,USA")
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 HARD ROCK
Absolutely one of the hardest rockin albums out there. This is Alex Lifeson when he could play guitar! Love it!!
Submitted by Dee (Ohio)
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Hard Rock/Blues Rock Classic Debut
If you are reading this as a hard rock guitar fan, don't look any farther. Alex Lifeson is not what you think on this album if you compare this to later Rush releases. Hard/Blues Rock to the extreme is all I can say about this album. It just totally kicks ya in the face. My all time favorite album from Rush along with Caress of Steel and Fly by Night. This is also one of my personal, if not favorite, albums of all time and I have been listening to music intelligently for the last 35 years. Guitar players open your ears and Enjoy!!
Submitted by John (California)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful.  Guitar Rock
If you love guitar this is the album for you. Alex Lifeson at his best. No Artsy Fartsy stuff here just pure HARD rock n roll. One of my all time favorite albums.
Submitted by Johnnnyport (California)
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Good
This is one of my favorite Rush albums. Best song is in the mood. i would also recommend A Farewell To Kings, Fly By Night, Rush In Rio, and Caress of Steel.
Submitted by Tim (Miami, Fla, USA)
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Purchase Rush CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Rush Fly By Night CD (1975) Remastered
Rush
 $6.49  
Rush: Geddy Lee (vocals, classical guitar, bass); Alex Lifeson (guitar); Neil Peart (drums).
Recorded at Toronto Sound Studios, Toronto, Canada.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, guitar, classical guitar, keyboards, bass guitar); Alex Lifeson (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar); Neil Peart (drums, percussion).
Recording information: Toronto Sound Studios, Toronto, Canada.
Photographer: Richard Fegley.
Arrangers: Geddy Lee; Alex Lifeson; Neil Peart; Terry Brown.
Prior to one of Rush's first U.S. tours, original drummer John Rutsey split from the band, since he wasn't prepared to commit to the band's rigorous touring schedule. And it proved to be a blessing in disguise, since his replacement was to become one of the most respected rock drummers of all time, Neil Peart, who would also steer the band towards success with more challenging material -- starting with Fly by Night. While the title track and the album-closing ballad, "In the End," still had Zeppelin roots, the album isn't as straightforward as the debut. Rush's first bona-fide classic, "Anthem," is included, while the over eight-minute "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" helped pave the way for the group's future epics ("2112," "Cygnus X-1," etc.), and introduced the fans to Peart's imaginative lyric writing, often tinged with science-fiction themes. The reflective and melodic "Making Memories" is an underrated early composition, while "Beneath, Between, & Behind" is a furious heavy rocker. Fly by Night may not be one of Rush's finest albums, but it is one of their most important -- it showed that the young band was leaving their Zep-isms behind in favor of a more challenging and original direction. ~ Greg Prato
Rush's sophomore release FLY BY NIGHT has become a milestone in their recording career. Although such future releases as 2112, HEMISPHERES, PERMANENT WAVES, and MOVING PICTURES would be superior albums, FLY BY NIGHT signaled
| | Rush Caress Of Steel CD (1975) Remastered
Rush
$6.49
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Alex Lifeson (guitar); Erwig Chuapchuadua (steel guitar); Neil Peart (drums).
Arrangers: Rush; Terry Brown.
When Rush finished their third album, Caress of Steel, the trio was assured that they had created their breakthrough masterpiece. But when the album dropped off the charts soon after its release, it proved otherwise. While it was Rush's first release that fully explored their prog rock side, it did not contain the catchy and more traditional elements of their future popular work -- it's quite often too indulgent and pretentious for a mainstream rock audience to latch onto. And while Rush would eventually excel in composing lengthy songs, the album's two extended tracks -- the 12«-minute "The Necromancer" and the nearly 20-minute "The Fountain of Lamneth" -- show that the band was still far from mastering the format. The first side contains two strong and more succinct tracks, the raging opener, "Bastille Day," and the more laid-back "Lakeside Park," both of which would become standards for their live show in the '70s. But the ill-advised "I Think I'm Going Bald" (which lyrically deals with growing old) borders on the ridiculous, which confirms that Caress of Steel is one of Rush's more unfocused albums. ~ Greg Prato
After building up a cult following with years of non-stop touring, Rush nearly lost their fans with CARESS OF STEEL. Taking their cue from British bands like Yes and Genesis, they began to expand their sound beyond that of a typical power trio. Gone were the riff-based songs and extended jams, replaced with more intricate arrangements, multi-part songs and deeper, introspective lyrics. Ironically, it was these elements that would later win them an international audience.
The album kicks off with "Bastille Day," a tough account of the French revolution, followed with an almost comical song "I Think I'm Going Bald," which finds Geddy Lee lament
| | Rush 2112 CD (1976) Remastered
Rush
$6.89
Rush: Alex Lifeson (guitar); Geddy Lee (bass, vocals); Neal Peart (drums).
Additional personnel: Hugh Syme (keyboards).
Recorded at Toronto Sound Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ultradiscs are mastered from the original master tapes using Mobile Fidelity's proprietary mastering technique, then plated with 24 karat gold and housed in a stress-resistant lift-lock jewel box.
Lyricists: Geddy Lee; Alex Lifeson; Neil Peart.
Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Alex Lifeson (guitar); Hugh Syme (keyboards); Neil Peart (drums, percussion).
Recording information: Toronto Sound Studios, Toronto, Canada.
Photographers: Gérard Gentil; Yosh Inouye.
Arrangers: Rush Brown; Rush; Terry Brown.
Whereas Rush's first two releases, their self-titled debut and Fly by Night, helped create a buzz among hard rock fans worldwide, the more progressive third release, Caress of Steel, confused many of their supporters. The band knew it was now or never with their fourth release, and they delivered just in time -- 1976's 2112 proved to be their much sought-after commercial breakthrough and remains one of their most popular albums. Instead of choosing between prog rock or heavy rock, both styles are merged together to create an interesting and original approach. The whole entire first side is comprised of the classic title track, which paints a chilling picture of a future world where technology is in control (Peart's lyrics for the piece being influenced by Ayn Rand). Comprised of seven "sections," the track proved that the trio was fast becoming rock's most accomplished instrumentalists. The second side contains shorter selections, such as the Middle Eastern-flavored "A Passage to Bangkok" and the album-closing rocker "Something for Nothing." 2112 is widely considered by Rush fans as their first true "classic" album, the first in a string of similarly high-quality albums. ~ Greg Prato
2112 is archetypal high-concept heavy/art-rock, featuring an inte
| | Rush Farewell To Kings CD (1977) Remastered
Rush
$6.49
Rush: Geddy Lee (vocals, keyboards, bass); Alex Lifeson (guitar); Neil Peart (drums, percussion).
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Wales in June 1977.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, bass guitar); Alex Lifeson (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric 12-string guitar); Neil Peart (drums, cowbells, temple blocks, triangle, tubular bells, vibraslap, bells, chimes).
Audio Mixer: Terry Brown.
Recording information: Rockfield Studios, Wales (06/1977).
Photographers: Yosh Inouye; Fin Costello.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Bob King ; Alex Lifeson; Neil Peart.
On 1977's A Farewell to Kings it quickly becomes apparent that Rush had improved their songwriting and strengthened their focus and musical approach. Synthesizers also mark their first prominent appearance on a Rush album, a direction the band would continue to pursue on future releases. With the popular hit single "Closer to the Heart," the trio showed that they could compose concise and traditionally structured songs, while the 11-minute "Xanadu" remains an outstanding accomplishment all these years later (superb musicianship merged with vivid lyrics help create one of Rush's best all-time tracks). The album-opening title track begins with a tasty classical guitar/synth passage, before erupting into a powerful rocker. The underrated "Madrigal" proves to be a delicately beautiful composition, while "Cinderella Man" is one of Rush's few songs to include lyrics penned entirely by Geddy Lee. The ten-minute tale of a dangerous black hole, "Cygnus X-1," closes the album on an unpredictable note, slightly comparable to the two bizarre extended songs on 1975's Caress of Steel. A Farewell to Kings successfully built on the promise of their breakthrough 2112, and helped broaden their audience. ~ Greg Prato
Taking a cue from other art-rock groups like Yes and Genesis, Rush expressed a penchant for
| | Rush Hemispheres CD (1978) Remastered
Rush
$6.55
Rush: Geddy Lee (vocals, synthesizers, bass); Alex Lifeson (guitar); Neil Peart (drums, percussion).
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Wales between June & July 1978.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
While such albums as 1980's Permanent Waves and 1981's Moving Pictures are usually considered Rush's masterpieces (and with good reason), 1978's Hemispheres is just as deserving. Maybe the fact that the album consists of only four compositions (half are lengthy pieces) was a bit too intimidating for some, but the near 20-minute-long "Cygnus X-1 Book II - Hemispheres" is arguably the band's finest extended track. While the story line isn't as comprehensible as "2112" was, it's much more consistent musically, twisting and turning through five different sections which contrast heavy rock sections against more sedate pieces. Neil Peart had become one of rock's most accomplished lyricists by this point, as evidenced by "The Trees," which deals with racism and inequality in a unique way (set in a forest!). And as always, the trio prove to be experts at their instruments, this time on the complex instrumental "La Villa Strangiato." Geddy Lee's shrieking vocals on the otherwise solid "Circumstances" may border on the irritating, but Hemispheres remains one of Rush's greatest releases. ~ Greg Prato
Rush began life as a power trio in the Led Zeppelin/heavy rock mode. Over the years the band refined their musical vision as they gained both instrumental and conceptual facility. 1978's HEMISPHERES marks their transition from heavy riff-mongers to full blown art-rockers. Lee, Lifeson and Peart employ a number of tricks from the prog-rock bag here; (very) extended songs, multi-part suites, long instrumental passages, rapidly shifting tempos and time signatures, complicated unison riffs and synthesizer orchestrations. It's to Rush's credit that these elements enhance their sound instead of obscuring it. In fact, "La Villa Strangiato" would become one of the band's be
| | Rush Permanent Waves CD (1980) Remastered
Rush
$6.55
Rush: Geddy Lee (vocals, synthesizers, bass); Alex Lifeson (guitar); Neil Peart (drums, percussion).
Additional personnel includes: Hugh Syme (piano).
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, mini-Moog synthesizer, Moog synthesizer, Oberheim synthesizer, bass guitar); Alex Lifeson (guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, electric guitar, electric 12-string guitar, 12-string guitar); Erwig Chuapchuadua (steel guitar, steel drum); Hugh Syme (piano, keyboards); Neil Peart (drums, timbales, timpani, triangle, tubular bells, crotales, wind chime).
Audio Mixer: Terry Brown.
Recording information: Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada (09/1979-10/1979).
Photographers: Deborah Samuel; Flip Schulke; Fin Costello.
Arrangers: Rush; Terry Brown.
Since Neil Peart joined the band in time for 1975's Fly by Night, Rush had been experimenting and growing musically with each successive release. By 1980's Permanent Waves, the modern sounds of new wave (the Police, Peter Gabriel, etc.) began to creep into Rush's sound, but the trio still kept their hard rock roots intact. The new approach paid off -- two of their most popular songs, the "make a difference" anthem "Freewill," and a tribute to the Toronto radio station CFNY, "The Spirit of Radio" (the latter a U.K. Top 15 hit), are spectacular highlights. Also included were two "epics," the stormy "Jacob's Ladder" and the album-closing "Natural Science," which contains a middle section that contains elements of reggae. Geddy Lee also began singing in a slightly lower register around this time, which made their music more accessible to fans outside of the heavy prog rock circle. The album proved to be the final breakthrough Rush needed to become an arena headliner throughout the world, beginning a string of albums that would reach inside the Top Five of the U.S. Billboard album charts. Permanent Waves is an undisputed hard rock classic, but
| | Yardbirds Having A Rave Up CD (1965) (Import) Japan
Rush
$31.39
Japanese Re-Issue Featuring 16 Bonus Tracks: Heart Full of Soul (Sitar Version), Steeled Blues, Shapes of Things, New York City Blues, Questa Volta, Paff...bum (Italian Issue), Paf...bum (German Issue), What Do You Want, Jeff's Blues, Someone To Love(part 1), Someone To Love (part 2), For Rsg, Like Jimmy Reed Again, Chris' Number, Pounds & Stomps & Stroll On.
This release features a special gatefold LP-style CD sleeve.
This Japanese import reissue contains 16 bonus cuts.
Featuring two different lineups of the seminal British R&B outfit, RAVE UP WITH THE YARDBIRDS distills tracks from their UK debut album FIVE LIVE YARDBIRDS, featuring guitarist Eric Clapton, and a later collection of studio recordings featuring Clapton's replacements, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. It includes several classics, including the almost-hit "Heart Full of Soul," the eastern-influenced drones of "Still I'm Sad" (around this time, every UK band was doing their Indian music thing), and the Ray Davies-like social commentary of "Mister, You're A Better Man Than I."
In its original U.S. vinyl release, this album, comprised of several singles and B-sides plus excerpts off of Five Live Yardbirds, was one of the best LPs of the entire British invasion, ranking on a par with the greatest mid-1960s work of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; it was also just a step away from being a best-of the Yardbirds as well. The contents have reappeared numerous times in many different configurations, but no collection has ever outdone the sheer compactness and high quality of Having a Rave Up. One major problem since the 1960s, as with all of the Yardbirds material owned by Charly Records, has been the sound -- for years, Charly only had substandard master materials to offer. That situation improved significantly in the mid- to late 1990s, and Repertoire Records is working from sources that are the cleanest and most impressive to have surfaced on these tracks during the CD era; one suspects that there might still be room for improvement, but not nearly as much as was previously the case -- a quick comparison of tracks between this and the contents of Train Kept A-Rollin' reveals somewhat superior sound here. The Repertoire reissue also adds 11 songs that cut across the group's history: principally outtakes from later in their careers and some odd studio sides from much earlier, plus the B-side "New York City Blues" (a rewrite of "Five Long Years"), the single "Shapes of Things, and their featured number from the Antonioni movie Blow Up, the "Train Kept A-Rollin'" rewrite "Stroll On," featuring Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page in the lineup. There are new notes by Chris Welch that, although structured somewhat haphazardly, give a good account of the history of the varied (and overall stunning) contents of this CD. ~ Bruce Eder
In the grand tradition of American record labels mucking about with the contents of British bands' albums, HAVING A RAVE UP WITH THE YARDBIRDS is a mishmash that actually stars two different lineups of the band. Side one is new studio material with new lead guitarist Jeff Beck, and it includes several classics, including the almost-hit "Heart Full of Soul," the eastern-influenced drones of "Still I'm Sad" (around this time, every UK band was doing their Indian music thing) and the Ray Davies-like social commentary of "Mister, You're A Better Man Than I." Side two cuts the UK-only FIVE LIVE YARDBIRDS (the group's debut album, with original lead guitarist Eric Clapton) down to a single LP side, a worthy distillation that shows off both Clapton and singer Keith Relf to their best advantage. This CD issue includes several key non-LP tracks from the same era, including "Stroll On," a rewrite of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" recorded for the film BLOW-UP that debuted the new lineup that added second guitarist Jimmy Page.
| | Billy Vera At This Moment: A Retrospective CD (1992) (Import) Germany
Rush
$12.95 
At This Moment is a compilation of previously unavailable live and studio performances, including songs from motion pictures and television that have often been requested by his fans for many years, as well as the studio version of his #1 hit 'At This Moment'. 18 tracks. 2002.
Includes liner notes by Billy Vera.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Audio Remasterers: Evren Göknar; Marty Wekser.
Liner Note Author: Billy Vera.
Photographer: Roxy Rifkin.
Considering that Billy Vera had written a ton of liner notes in the years preceding the release of At This Moment: A Retrospective (for which he penned the notes himself) and presumably cares about such things as dates and recording sources, the track listing and notes for this compilation are surprisingly vague about some such details. Certainly much of it comes from a 1995 live performance. And certainly a few of the remaining cuts come from the soundtracks to Blind Date, Rainbow Drive, Baja Oklahoma, Desperate for Love, and Ride the Wind ("Desperate Frame of Mind" was in fact used for both of the latter two movies). As for the version of "At This Moment," the number one hit that will certainly be the song to attract most interest on the collection, it's a studio version made for the picture Starstruck, though in the notes Vera seems to imply the CD includes a live recording of the tune (it doesn't). Whatever the discographical minutiae, these are journeyman blends of rock, pop, soul, R&B, and adult contemporary music (and even a bit of country at times, as on "Desperate Frame of Mind"), done by a man who obviously cares deeply about classic roots forms. ~ Jimmy James
Considering that Billy Vera had written a ton of liner notes in the years preceding the release of At This Moment: A Retrospective (for which he penned the notes himself) and presumably cares about such things as dates and recording sources, the track listing and notes for this compilation are surprisingly vague about some such details. Certainly much of it comes from a 1995 live performance. And certainly a few of the remaining cuts come from the soundtracks to Blind Date, Rainbow Drive, Baja Oklahoma, Desperate for Love, and Ride the Wind ("Desperate Frame of Mind" was in fact used for both of the latter two movies). As for the version of "At This Moment," the number one hit that will certainly be the song to attract most interest on the collection, it's a studio version made for the picture Starstruck, though in the notes Vera seems to imply the CD includes a live recording of the tune (it doesn't). Whatever the discographical minutiae, these are journeyman blends of rock, pop, soul, R&B, and adult contemporary music (and even a bit of country at times, as on "Desperate Frame of Mind"), done by a man who obviously cares deeply about classic roots forms but is only an adequate singer. The Beaters are only serviceable as backers, sounding like a television house band with more funk than most. ~ Jimmy James
| | Honkeys Tequila Mockingbird CD (2002)
Rush
$12.99
The Honkeys are St. Louis' only premier surf/instrumental rock 'n' roll sensations. With lightning-fast Fender and Mosrite guitar-picking artistry; tons of fuzz and reverb effects; heart-pumping bass; foot-stomping, big-beat percussion; mysterious, spine-tingling organ riffs; and intriguing melodies bristling with excitement and adolescent menace, these fine young men lay down the wildest, sexiest, and most exotic surf and instrumental rock 'n' roll stylings ever attempted around this part of the landlocked Midwest.The obligatory influences would be, of course, artists like classic instrumental artists such as The Ventures, Davie Allan & The Arrows, The Trashmen, Link Wray, Dick Dale, The New Dimensions, The Pyramids, The Astronauts, as well as such modern surf/instrumental acts as Satan's Pilgrims, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, The Bomboras, The Tiki Tones, Los Straitjackets, and, of course, Man or Astro-Man? And while they remain overwhelmingly uninterested in the banal predictability of the jam band resurgence or in the generic mind-numbing malaise of modern rock or alternative music, The Honkeys don't find rock 'n' roll's original language to be exhausted. They are faithful to their instruments' traditional vocabularies as they strive to create the instrumental sound of NOW; contemporary in attitude, fresh and exciting in execution. The Honkeys are: Jeffrey Positive, six-string reverb, hand-held drink mixer specialist, and walker of the spinning yo-yo dog; Cullen "Stab" McGrane, 4-string reverb, wookie stoicism; Jovian Kind, drums, percussion, laughter; and Micah Edge, Organs and Synthesizer.
| | Britney Spears Greatest Hits: My Prerogative CD (2004)
Rush
$11.39
Greatest Hits: My Prerogative appeared at the tail end of a year where Britney Spears was married twice, canceled a tour, injured her knee, lost the movie role of Daisy Duke to rival teen pop diva Jessica Simpson, was a punch line in Fahrenheit 9/11, and had countless paparazzi shots of her drinking and making out in public. It was enough high-profile shenanigans for a career, and it was par for the course for Britney, who hadn't been out of the pop culture headlines since she released her debut album, ...Baby One More Time, in January 1999. In the nearly six years separating that debut album and the release of Greatest Hits in November 2004, Britney was omnipresent, representing both the entire teen pop phenomenon of the turn of the millennium, plus the teasing, Maxim-fueled sexuality of the time; it's not for nothing that Tom Wolfe name drops Britney Spears, not archrival Christina Aguilera, in his 2004 novel I Am Charlotte Simmons -- Britney alone captured the era, which in turn is captured on this 17-track hits collection. If Bob Dylan had a hard time being a voice of a generation (which he does acknowledge in his autobiography, Chronicles), imagine the weight put upon this simple Louisiana girl who just wanted to be famous and became a cultural icon instead! During those six years, she kept turning out product, selling herself with increasingly racy photographs, all the while being used as an example of everything that's wrong with pop culture, or even worse, as the subject of cultural theses explaining pop culture. No wonder that after six years of mind-boggling fame she wanted to abandon her career for motherhood -- it's exhausting being in the limelight, even for a shameless pop star! So, Greatest Hits arrived at a perfect time -- just as her star was fading, just as the teen pop era grew to a close, and just as she readied herself for retirement.
As a time capsule, Greatest Hits does its job well. It has all of her hits outside of "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart," a largely forgotten ballad from her debut released just before her second album, Oops!...I Did It Again, and it contains two very good previously unreleased tunes, including the In the Zone outtake "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)," an infectious spin on No Doubt's "Hella Good" that betters most of the songs that were featured on the album (it also has a useless remake of Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative," which seems to exist solely for its video). Clearly, this is the album not just for the casual fan, but for any fan of Spears, because like most teen pop singers, her albums are notoriously spotty affairs, memorable largely for the singles themselves. What is surprising is that those singles -- all presented here in their hit forms, which means this has the "Stop Remix" of "(You Drive Me) Crazy," not the album version -- are somewhat less than the sum of their parts when collected together. The similarities in Max Martin's clanking, insistent writing and production become blindingly evident, and Britney's thin, squeaky voice wears thin over the course of 17 songs. Also, the song selection and sequencing emphasize keeping the perfect beat over chronology, which not only makes it a little harder to listen to as an album, it puts the focus on the individual songs, which seem neither as hooky or catchy as they did when they were initially on the radio. There are exceptions to the rule, of course -- "...Baby One More Time" still retains its punch, "Oops!...I Did It Again" is so silly it's hard to resist, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" is fluffy dance-pop at its best, and "Toxic" is a delirious, intoxicating rush -- but they're all better as individual moments, even if when taken together, they do illustrate the cacophonous monotony of her music and, yes, her time quite well. So, even if it isn't a great listen as a cohesive album, Greatest Hits does perform the valuable function of offering all of Britney's hits in one place, and it does work as a portrait of the t
| | Warsaw Poland Bros Live CD (2005)
Rush
$9.65
Live Recording
Personnel: Hashme Saul.
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