Search - Barry Adamson :: Murky World of Barry Adamson

This kind of thing annoys me

Russell Dicker (dicker@cmu.edu) | Mill Valley, CA | 07/01/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Very little that the music industry does annoys me more than the greatest hits album with a small number of new songs.Since I already own almost all of Barry Adamson's albums, when I heard that he was releasing a greatest hits album I figured I wouldn't buy it. Then they said that it was going to have three new tracks. Arggghh!So I bought it, because I'm a sucker. Is it worth it? I guess. Of the new songs "Saturn in the Summertime" is the strongest. A good jazzy melody with a slight Caribbean lilt to it. "Walk the Last Mile" is also a good little tune with some of the patented Barry Adamson lyrics and strong bass line. Very "As Above, So Below". The third song "Mitch and Andy" is very much like "Vibes" or "Jazz Devil" (both also on this album) with mean-spirited lyrics above a great riff.If you don't own any Barry Adamson this definitely has some of the more accessible cuts, while also giving you a great variety of his work. It also includes some of the stronger entries from "As Above, So Below", but "Come Hell or High Water" is surprisingly absent.If you do own a bunch of Barry Adamson albums you need to ask yourself if it is worth it for just these three songs. It is close. They're good songs, but nothing that new. I guess in the end it is worth the price, and the music industry has once again succeeded in making us pay $5 each for three songs. Sigh."

A Grand Overview

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 02/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a newcomer to the world of Barry Adamson, this CD is a great place to start. The Murky World of Barry Adamson gives the listener a grand overview of what Barry Adamson is all about, with representative cuts from a number of albums spanning his first decade as well as a few new songs.
I like the excellent cover of Man With The Golden Arm, the sultry Vibes Ain't Nothin But The Vibes, the narrated howler Jazz Devil (agent 00666!), Mitch and Andy, and the Herb Alpert-like finale, Saturn in the Summertime. The rest? Well, they're great too!
Adamson is one of the most imaginative musicians on the scene today. Listening to one of his CDs is like listening to a good never-ending movie soundtrack.
If you are curious about the world of Barry Adamson, I highly recommend this CD as a great place to start!"

Wicked walkin'

J. Holmes | yokohama, japan | 10/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this is a murky world, indeed. Barry Adamson's music is mostly electronic in sound, but it feels more like a dark pop lounge record. the nature of the beast is the beat, and these songs have plenty of swinging brassy bold beats. representing some kind of back-alley shuffle, these songs sound like film-noir soundtracks or modern day compositions echoing the works of Roy Budd. my mind is filled with images of secret passageways through dark corridors which lead you to private dimly-lit jazz clubs run by one armed thugs whenever listening to this record. there's a spectacular spooky vibe that runs through these cuts, but plenty of black humor pops up within these lurking numbers as well. Barry Adamson sounds like a tangled cross up between Tom Waits and Underworld. a nice discovery."