Search - Black N Blue :: Ultimate Collection

Michelle P. (pauleygirl) from N HOLLYWOOD, CA
Reviewed on 11/2/2008...

The last three songs on the copy of this cd I received will not download and the last two songs will not play at all. MP 11/2/08

Why weren't these guys huge?

Crooked Reign | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This quintet from Portland, OR should have been massive. Very hard to find material by them, and this collection is definitely worth the $$. A pretty good choice of cuts from their 4 albums, although obviously could have had more ("The strong will always rock" for one). Like most people who have bought this album, I used to have their tapes and records in the 80s but have long since lost them. Upon getting this release, I can't help but wonder "why didn't these guys hit it big?"
With great hard rock vocals from Jamie St. James, and the intricate interplay between the two outstanding guitarists (current KISS confidant Tommy Thayer and returned Rose City resident Jef "Woop" Warner), this band had ALL the elements to be gigantic. Patrick Young's basslines are perfect..sometimes AC/DC-esque, sometimes some odd flair thrown in to keep you saying "hmmmm." Drummer Pete Holmes doesn't really go off like he can in the studio, but that was the case for a lot of drummers in that era.
The strongest part of this band is their sound as a whole...and the tunes ROCK. Stylisticly, they are heavy, with the famous German producer at the knobs for their first album, but as they progressed, their range widened and they released some GREAT straight ahead hard rock.
Anyway, this is a band worth listening to. In fact, it's probably a good thing they didn't make it big, otherwise they'd probably have the same lack of respect that most of that era's bands enjoy. By the way, LOTS of guys who did make it big don't hesitate to sing the praises of this great band - Gene Simmons, Steven Tyler, Jon Bon Jovi, Sambora, and many more."

Excellent, if just for a few songs

Christina V. Spangberg | San Jose, CA United States | 05/13/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Getting this album is second best to waiting (maybe in vain) for their first self-titled album to be re-released. It's pretty good to get 6 out of its 10 tracks represented on this compilation. Back when it came out, I was totally blown away by each track. They were my second favorite group for a long time, just because of that one album. When Without Love came out, I quickly shelled out the money for the record and I was sorely disappointed. Then came Nasty Nasty, which had only one or two decent songs on it and I gave up on them ever returning to their glory days.
As far as this collection goes, it's worth picking it up just for those six songs and I guess "Rockin' on Heaven's Door" is better than average. But the rest of it is simply bubble gum, beach rock, Def Leppard wannabe stuff. If they kept to the caliber of their first album, their career would have had a lot more longevity than it did."