Search - Killing Joke :: Wilful Days

Good, but could have been better

Alan Kelly | Toronto, Canada | 01/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a compilation of rarer B-sides and remixes from the pre-Extremities era Killing Joke. Some of it is great to have, especially if you're a completist who's come to their career late in the game (when the original vinyl is hard to come by). Be warned, however: that version of "A New Day" (the one non-album single I've always wanted) is NOT the regular 7" version, but is the b-side "dub" version with half of the verses missing (not as in, we've got 1 and 4, but not 2 and 3... more like you only get half of each verse). A minor quibble, perhaps, but it soured the overall purchase for me, which is why I've only given it a 4 instead of a full 5."

Dance Day

Michael Heminger | Pardeeville, WI | 12/15/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I made a passionate plea to a bandmember backstage once that I'd give ANYTHING to have a version of "Wilful Days" on cd, and months later, this gem appeared.The serious Jokester already has this stuff, and I was never partial to these 'dance' mixes, which seemed to dilute the irony of their relentless use of rhythm in order to appeal to dance clubs. But this one is also a must if you don't already own the singles containing "Sun Goes Down" (the muted studio version), the radiant "A New Day", or the colossal warble of the title track, which is worth the purchase price alone.Not the compilation I would have birthed (where are those master tapes for the "HA" concert, anyway?) but still partially essential."

Yet another in my "I Bought It For Only One Song" series

D. K. Malone | earth | 08/28/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I became a KJ fan relatively late, back in the early 90s. I knew who they were, I remember when Follow the Leader was played on KROQ pretty regularly and Living In the 80s was on MTV often. But it wasn't until I heard Helmet do a cover of Primitive that I decided to check them out. I bought tons of their albums, but the first two are my favorites by far. After buying so many of their records, I noticed something was missing. At some point on MTV's 120 Minutes I'd seen a video for a song called A New Day, and I really loved it. I had to have it, so I hunted it down until I found it on this CD. Now it's the only song on that CD that skips, so here I am buying a new copy! Yes, I'm a wasteful idiot."