Search - Gene Loves Jezebel :: Voodoo Dollies: Best of Gene Loves Jezebel

The Welsh twins of Goth

ckewell71 | Miami, FL USA | 03/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not quite new wave, nor Goth, or even pop, Gene Loves Jezebel falls into that catagory of hybrid. Having been a fan for 15 years, I am forever on the hunt for c.d.s, comps, etc., and found that most are out of print, including the excellent Kiss of Life and Immigrant albums. But this collection culls the best from their six albums, including the aforementioned ones. As expected, Desire is on this c.d., but also songs from 'Promise' (Bruises, Upstairs) and 'Immigrant' (Steven). All the tracks are prime examples of how this band really was during the late eighties. My faves are Bruises, Sweetest Thing, Twenty Killer Hurts and Jealous, but overall this is the best album you could buy as an introduction to the band. You will wonder why they weren't bigger than they were!"

Good Jump-in Point to GLJ

SandmanVI | Glen Allen, VA United States | 01/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"GLJ is yet another example an excellent 80's post-punk band being rediscovered, though perhaps not to the extent deserved. If you've never heard them then this is probably the best place to start as it covers all of their different sounds pretty evenly. All of the songs are presented more or less chronologically and depending on your tastes you'll either gravitate toward the beginning, middle or end of the collection. Goths tend to like the 1st 2 albums which are represnted on here by the 1st 6 songs; "Bruises" is one of my favorite GLJ songs. The middle marks the transition period when they, and nearly every alternative act at the time, were shifting from the darker early sound to a more rock-oriented concept. "Heartache" and "Desire" were alt radio smashes at the time and made a name for the band. Then came the slightly harder rock feel of the songs from 'House of Dolls', tacks 11-13. The last stage of the album represents an attempt to go mainstream with "Jealous" and "Kiss of Life"... I think this stage stinks but it was fairly popular.



To understand the group it is important to look at the overall body of work and also consider the time. GLJ followed a trajectory of many postpunk bands that started a bit Goth, then moved to general alternative and perhaps dabbled a little in metal... Jezebel actually almost exactly mirrors the progression of the Cult up until about '87. Overall this is a great collection that showcases all of the band's stages and offers some bang for the buck."

"best of" indeed!

ckewell71 | 02/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this is by far the best "greates hits" compilation ever! i'm kind of an 80's freak so i know good music when i hear it! every songs is really good especially break the chain,jealous,desire,sweetest thing,kiss of life, & motion of love. it's really hard to find any GLJ cds out there for they are OOP. so if u stumble across this in the music store where you live,you best not ignore it! you wont be dissapointed with this one it's great! jay aston(& michael) are 2 of the best musicians of the 80's and shouldnt be forgotten. to say the least, ENJOY!"