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Hard core dance music from the 80's

Get What We Give | Georgia | 02/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the 1980's, dance music was the natural evolution of what had been formerly called disco in the 1970's. The beat was a bit faster and there were more synthesizers in the mix, but it was still disco all grown up. That said, "disco" was a dirty word in most dance clubs in the 1980's. The U.S. was rebelling against anything that smacked of disco as the 1980's began. However, in the dance clubs, disco was now this different, more electric sounding music. Typically that same music didn't find it's way onto the radio stations around the country. The reverse was often true, with a lot of the "new wave" music hitting the dance clubs, but ususally not the other way round. And the hit dance songs followed a strict path to mainstream dance club popularity: It was released to the gay bars and if it was a hit there, then it went on to the straight clubs - this could often take a year or more for the transition to take place.Lime was one of those groups that was a staple in the gay bars for many years before they ever hit the straight bar scene. With a driving bass beat in all their songs and a heavy synthesizer influence, Lime's songs were perfect for moving to. "Your Love" and "Angel Eyes" were two of the most popular. However, you'll be hard pressed to find a bad song on this album.No, you'll probably not find any of these greatest hits on the Top 40, but you'll definitely take yourself down memory lane with these great hit songs from the dance club era of the 1980's!"

Greatest Hits of the mysterious Lime

A. Griffiths | London | 08/16/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lime are an intriguing, faceless group from the 1980's who churned out a massive amount of music without anybody really knowing who they were. The group consisted of Canadian husband and wife team Denis and Denyse LePage, who produced all the music and shared the vocals, but they never performed in person, so all public appearances were made by two fresh faced young stand-ins, to give the fans something to look at. Lime produced an impressive nine albums, with varying degrees of success. Their trademark sound was rampant synthesised Hi-NRG supporting two very distinctive vocal styles, the high, birdlike trilling of Denyse, complemented by the gravelly rasping voice of Denis. You won't easily mistake this group for anyone else!



Actually, the style I have described really only applies to the singles, as Lime's albums mix these in with the occasional slow tracks, and some songs are little more than electronic doodlings. For this reason, a greatest hits package is the best place to start if you have liked what you heard in clubs, although it's a shame that this album isn't a little longer as it's only really a taster, which is a compliment to the group in that they have more good material than would fit on one album. The two best tracks have to be "Guilty" and "Unexpected Lovers", although they are not necessarily the ones that met with most success. Two of the groups biggest hits were "Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight" and "Your Love", (both included here), but I find them a little less enjoyable then the two previously mentioned. Some, like "Angel Eyes" and "Take It Up" have a really strident robotic beat, which the group excelled at turning into pretty hot dance music. If you enjoy this aspect, try some of the albums where you'll find some very diverse sounding tracks, but as mentioned earlier, they often experimented with odd rhythms that mean not every track can be danced to.



I wish this package had cast it's net a bit wider, as there are many other strong tracks that could have been added, such as "On The Grid", "Did You See That Girl", "Do You Like To Love" and "I Don't Wanna Lose You" to name but a few. A final word about the remixing, normally I would have reservations about buying a collection where the songs are not in their original versions, so be warned that nearly every track is different to it's previous album or 12" single incarnation. My real regret is that my favourite song "Guilty" has had quite a severe makeover, with too many electronic special effects piled on top of it, and much of it's charm has been lost. The original 12" single release had a far less cluttered feel to it, with a long slow build up from the simple opening bass-line that set a great mood. Don't worry too much though, because the others are all good mixes, and all are long versions. It's a great way to add Lime's music to your Hi-NRG collection, but make sure you get the Unidisc remastered version of this album, as there is a other one around with the same cover, with far fewer tracks on it.



As an aside, these album covers are as much a trademark of the group as their sound, adorned as they are with really cheesy airbrushed paintings of cosmopolitan lounging model-types drinking cocktails (with lime in them, of course!)...you can find out more for yourself, as the wonderful Unidisc have also released the entire Lime back catalogue onto CD, all with extra 12" bonus tracks. If you decide to investigate further, I would recommend the middle period of their albums, especially Lime 3 which was one of thier biggest sellers. As I said, a group unlike any other, and an eccentric national treasure!"

Snappy,well-produced, melodic post-disco; Unique sound

Aaron S Holsberg | New York NY USA | 06/30/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lime was among the best,most innovative, and most consistent disco groups in the 1981-83 period, after disco's mass popularity had collapsed. Working on a shoestring, Denis and Denise LePage (husband/wife? brother/sister?)of Montreal, Canada delivered crisp, zippy synth production, catchy melodies, and charmingly imperfect vocals - his voice is gravelly and low, hers is squeaky and high, the contrast is great. Several early songs are undisputed show-stopping classics, notably "Your Love" and "Babe, We're Gonna Love Tonight". Never content to just repeat a successful formula, with each successive album Lime incorporated new arrangements and textures - "Guilty" and "Angel Eyes" from 1983 added flourishes of new-wave and hip-hop while preserving a clean, disco sound. This collection choose good, long mixes of most of Lime's major hits. Every cut is great, though there are a few omissions, notably "You're My Magician" and "Agent 406" from their excellent first album, but Lime's lesser known mid-80s cuts are also good. For early 1980s clubgoers, this should bring back memories, for newcomers, a hidden treasure trove of dated, but very appealing latter-day disco."