Search - Ministry of Sound :: Back to the Old Skool Club Classics

The Ministry Of Sound Does It Again!

Busy Body | London, England | 07/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's summer, the temperature is rising, and you're sprawled out on the beach chilling with your mates. What CD would be appropriate for the occasion? "Back To The Old Skool - Club Classics," of course! This amazing Double CD is another fantastic offering from the Ministry of Sound guys. I myself don't usually buy compilation albums - I'm more for buying albums buy actual artists, but I just couldn't resist purchasing "Back To The Old Skool - Club Classics" when I saw it advertised on TV.



I don't even particularly like dance music - especially the recycled garbage that is pumped out at present, but I listened to these songs on this album back in the 1990's when I was just a kid of about 10. I remember dancing the night away in Spain with my friends (and parents!) back in 1995. The songs are such classics of the dance world that when I saw the advert on TV, all the memories came flooding back and I had to have this CD.



Disc 1 is definitely the best CD of the two. Kicking off with Livin' Joy's "Dreamer" and Strike's "U Sure Do," the disc jets off in a fine way. Both songs are absolute classics, and were massive hits in the UK and on the clubscene. Both songs get you up on your feet and ready to party! Toni Di Bart's "The Real Thing" slows things down to a chilled pace, but things soon hot up again with The Original's "I Luv U Baby." The disc takes a downfall over the next few songs, but things pick up with Robin S's absolute dynamite of a classic, "Show Me Love." Her raw vocals, the addictive dancebeat - it all makes for a definite highlight. Ce Ce Peniston's "Finally" reigns supreme, before breaking out into the dance anthem of 1997, Ultra Nate's "Free." What classics. De'Lacy's "Hideaway," Alison Limerick's "Where Love Lives" and K-Klass "Let Me Show You" all follow up. Absolutely excellent - all true dance anthems. Some slow, some fast, some chilled, some crazy - but all classics! A few more rather forgetful tracks follow, but the disc ends, second-to-last with the fabulous "Another Night" by Real McCoy! I remember dancing to this in the scorching heat of Ibiza in 1998, and going crazy doing aerobics to this song in a pool in an exclusive hotel that me and a few mates sneaked into! Ah, the memories...



Disc 2 opens superbly with Underworld's smash hit "Underworld." The theme to 1996's biggest film "Trainspotting," the song simply rocks. A head-banging classic! Faithless' "Insomnia" is dark and haunting, while Atlantic Ocean's "Waterfall" is peaceful and tranquil. Two hits that were released at the same time in early 1998 follow up: Wildchild's "Renegade Master" and Bamboo's "Bamboogie." The former with its sizzling bass and eccentric vocals, the latter with it's catchy vocals and storming beat create a wonderful sense of euphoric hardcore dance bliss. Rosie Gaines' "Closer Than Close" swings with richness, and exotic vocals from this big one-hit-wonder lady. Tina Moore's "Never Gonna Let You Go" is another highlight. The remaining songs are good, but not the best on the album - they aren't really classics, which is what this album is supposed to be, but I imagine that with time they will become classics.



OVERALL GRADE: 10/10



If you remember fondly the times when you partied non-stop in clubs until the sun came up in Ibiza, year after year then this CD is definitely for you! My sister is totally obsessed with dance music, and she can't stop borrowing this CD and listeneing to it with her mates - and she's really into modern dance music. This proves that even the people who prefer today's dance music can listen to this CD and enjoy it totally. On the inside of the CD sleeve, there is a quote from Sections 63, 64 and 65 of the 1994 Criminal Justice Act that states:



"A 'rave' is defined as a gathering of ten or more people, at which amplified music wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats."



Boy, they have no idea!"