Corey Hart - Classic Masters (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

For dancin' with my mirror (literally)

B-MAN | Earth, occasionally. Until I get bored. | 08/21/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not sure why this 2002 compilation of Corey Hart exists because 11 of the 12 tracks here are available on the much better 15 track compilation, 1992's "The Singles". The only song special on Classic Masters is "Dancin' with my mirror" from his '86 album "Fields of Fire". Don't get me wrong, the music is great, but another compilation was unecessary. My advice: skip Classic Masters as well as 1998's Best of Corey Hart (from the 10 best series) and just get "The Singles". Unless you have to have "dancin' with my mirror" of course. Then you have a problem."

The Corey Hart Hits Collection To Own!

cdlover2277 | Phila.,, Pa. USA | 05/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're looking for a Corey Hart hits compilation CD, this is far and away his best collection to date. What makes it even better is that the remastering is excellent, which gives it a certain edge over some of his other compilations. Sure, the 1992 Hart compilation "The Singles" has 3 more tracks than this one, but as mentioned before the sound quality is better and, unlike "The Singles", this compilation includes all 10 of his singles to make the Billboard Hot 100 chart. (9 out of 10, by the way, made the Top 40. The only one that didn't, the #88 hit "Dancin' With My Mirror", is also included here). It should also be noted that all 10 of those charting singles are presented in chronological order in this compilation. If you are a die-hard Corey Hart fan, this album may not be enough for you as a career overview, but if you are looking strictly for a hits album from him, this is definitely the one to own.

By the way, you might want to get your hands on this as soon as possible, as it seems EMI is no longer issuing any more compilations in their "Classic Masters" series. Some others in the series seem to be already out of print, (like the ones from General Public and Boy George) and at least a few are going for high prices as used CD's in record stores and online. I'm guessing that the "Classic Masters" line of CD's that EMI put out in 2002-2003 was meant to be the equivalent of Universal's "20th Century Masters" series, which are basically a dozen of an artist's greatest hits for a midline price (around $11.99 or so). I wish EMI would revive the "Classic Masters" series, seeing as how the remastering job on them were usually excellent. Do yourself a favor and get this collection (and any others that you might want from the "Classic Masters" collections) while you still can at reasonable prices."

All Corey Hart's hits ... remastered!

Invisiboy2001 | Chicago, IL United States | 04/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most people think Corey Hart only had two hits in the U.S., namely "Never Surrender" and "Sunglasses At Night," but Hart actually landed a total of nine singles on the U.S. Top 40 chart from 1984 to 1990. Granted, none of the singles reached the Top Ten like his signature songs, but they were still pretty successful singles. "It Ain't Enough," Hart's second Top-20 hit, borrows from the Motels' "Only The Lonely," but it's still a great song with a sad, lonely message. Other hits include "Boy In The Box," "A Little Love" and Hart's tender rendition of "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You."All the music here has been remastered, which is a real plus. Unfortunately, 11 of the 12 songs featured here were also included on the "Corey Hart: The Singles" CD from the early '90s. It would have been great if EMI had left off one of the three non-hit tracks and included "Araby (She's Just A Girl)" (a rare track that was included on foreign releases of Hart's debut) on this CD, since that song has not been issued on CD in the U.S.Still, this is a budget-priced CD that mild Corey hart fans will enjoy."

Corey Hart classics NEVER sounded better

Scott Kessler | Outside Detroit Michigan | 01/16/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It seems that hits collections draw consistent criticism for not including some tracks and for including others .... regardless if one feels this compilation is complete or not one thing stands quite true ...Corey Hart classic songs have NEVER sounded better on this particular remastered release. Classic Masters CD release brings absolute new life to Corey's 80s/90s work. I have his Hits collection and it sounds very muffled and weak ... this hits CD sounds as if the songs were just recorded this year .... awesome and highly recommended if you want some of the best of Corey Hart but more importantly with awesome remastered sound quality."

Bouncy, Punchy Audio Make This Mastering Classic!

Jason W. Bellenger | Byron Center, Michigan, USA | 06/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 2002 Corey Hart 'Classic Masters' release is a fine example of how Capitol's stunning 24-bit remastering brings new light to older recordings and goes above and beyond any other remastering from any other labels. Nothing can compare for stereo upgrades! I can do numerous comparisons to other remastering by other labels from around the 2002 era. In the end, nothing sounds as good as Capitol's work on these 'Classic Masters' releases. The Corey Hart issue is simply some of the best sound I've heard from any music of the mid-80's.

Ballads such as "It Ain't Enough", "Can't Help Falling In Love", and "Everything In My Heart" -- the latter two #1 hits in Canada -- have never sounded better with their punchy drums and soaring vocals. The #1-charting smash, "Never Surrender", my favorite single here, has been lifted far above any previous mastering standards from the 80's and 90's. The crashing guitars and pounding drums of this classic single only enhance the sonic presentation, putting previous poor flat masters to shame and bringing the music up to today's audio standards. Uptempo cuts such as "Sunglasses At Night" and "Boy In The Box" have never sounded more "in your face"!

Some mastering engineers don't really bother much with the sound and try to keep it as close to the original recording as possible. Unfortunately, that's where many recordings fall flat and don't hold a candle to today's mastering. Mark Chalecki, who mastered this release at Capitol Mastering, has done something special to these recordings -- that is, he's given them depth and width, often making them comparable to many recordings today in terms of audio quality. This is some of the best work sonically I've ever heard. Check out those Benatar remasters from Chalecki as well, and you'll hear what I mean.

Included in this release are Corey's hits for his time on Aquarius/EMI only. Like previous reviews have mentioned, every Billboard Hot 100 charting single is included in addition to non-charting U.S. tracks, such as "Take My Heart" and "Chase The Sun". While this release only features a dozen cuts it gives a solid overview of Corey's years on Aquarius, despite missing a few charting Canadian and European singles.

Since the 'Classic Masters' discs tend only to include around 12 cuts and sell for a fair price, I can't really complain too much about what was included, even though "Eurasian Eyes" is sorely missed here. The 1987 favorite "Dancin' With My Mirror" is a nice addition, since it deserved much better than it's #88 Hot 100 placing.

A remastered complete hits and singles collection covering his years on Aquarius is long overdue from Capitol Records. The 1992 'Singles' release is out of date, sonically, and incomplete with the tracklisting and mediocre artwork. Maybe one of these days Capitol will go the extra mile and put out a more complete collection and start reissuing and remastering his back catalogue. In the meantime, this fine collection will have to suffice!"

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