BEST OF IS WORTH THE WAIT!
Roland A. Velasquez | Houston, TX USA | 12/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a fan since 1989 and i have been following lead band member Siobhan Fahey ever since. All the tracks are excellent.
the cd:
The first four tracks are from "Sacred Heart". All these tracks are great. Especially YOU'RE HISTORY & DIRTY MIND.
WAITING is a song most people won't be familiar with. Love the guitars and Siobhan's voice on this one is powerful. It's definitely a better song than say, STAY.
Tracks 6 through 9 are from the "Hormonally Yours" album and this disc contains the single versions of the songs. There is really a slight difference in sound.
Prefer the HY version of GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD but this single version is very good too. It's a little faster, more guitar added.
STAY was the hit but not the best song on the album.
This version of I DON'T CARE is better than the album version.
I love the added instruments and it just has a more live sound to it.
HELLO (TURN YOUR RADIO ON) should have been the #1 hit single. beautiful song. the lyrics are amazing.
Now tracks 10-13 are songs from the just released "#3" album.
I CAN DRIVE was the only single and just pure genius.
EXCUSE ME, JOHN reminds me of something from the seventies & CAN U WAIT THAT LONG? is also amazing. The drums and vocals are very powerful. lots of energy in this song. very dramatic.
DO I SCARE YOU? is one of my favorites from "#3" and this song should have been a single. Some of Siobhan's best lyrics and the music is different than anything else on the album. Billy McKenzie does the background vocals on this song. The two voices together are excellent.
every song on "#3" is unique and brilliant.
This album was recorded in the mid-nineties by Siobhan Fahey alone and was shelved by the record company.
"#3" is the best SS album! Siobhan has just recently obtained the rights to the album and has released it on her website,
siobhanfahey.com. it is a must have!
WHITE RABBIT is a cover of the Grace Slick song. Excellent cover. It sounds like something Siobhan would have written. Her voice fits this one perfectly. The music is very cool too.
WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID? was created after the "Hormonally Yours" album and I believe before "#3". Haunting song. Close your eyes and you will be transported into this dark world.
Shakespears Sister's sound will stand the test of time. Very different from your typical pop/rock/electronic records.
the dvd:
i will make this short. The videos are excellent. The "Sacred Heart" videos are a little dated, but creative and very good. Siobhan is beautiful in them. YOU'RE HISTORY is the best.
The Russian footage is very cool. Siobhan running around in the snow, clips of the band rehearsing, and then at the end two live performances. early Shakespears Sister.
The "Hormonally Yours" videos are the best part. Every one of these are fun and beautifully filmed. The costumes the "characters" and sets give the whole HY era a magical feel. the look of the group is very theatrical and original. Art imitating life at its best.
The only video from "#3" is I CAN DRIVE. This video rocks and Siobhan is solo. She looks very different from previous videos. Very stripped down but beautiful still.
You must buy this CD/DVD. It is worth it. Although I know this was a very hard stage in Siobhan's career, it blows her Bananarama experience out of the water. Creatively anyway.
"
Definitely Worth it!
Anthony Morelli | Montreal, Canada | 04/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I ordered mine from here (Amazon Marketplace) a couple weeks ago, and I'm a very happy camper. This is one of the best online purchases I've made in a long, long time! First of all, there are songs I've never heard before, so by owning this compilation, it helps me get to know the band's material, or Siobhan's own solo stuff much better. All the songs are very well-written and catchy. Thanks to my best friend, he drew me toward's SS's music back in the 90's with the "HORMONALLY YOURS" CD. SS's music was always something I pushed to the "back burner" because I didn't know what to make of it. But in the past 2 years, I've focused on the new material from the "Shakespears Sister #3" album...and it blew me away! Siobhan is a true musical genius!
"I DON'T CARE" seems to be a differnt version. It's much brighter & fresher-sounding than the album version. Wow!
"HELLO (TURN YOUR RADIO ON) is my favorite "SS" song of all time & also appears to be a different version. Just hearing the first notes from it, my eyes got all teary. It's just the way I am, regarding this song. The Clock ticking at the end reminds me of a heartbeat or something. Dark songs like this draw me near. LOL The compilation is missing one song "BITTER PILL". I wanted & hoped for this song to be released on the CD, but unfortunately it didn't make it. Awwww!
The liner notes booklet is packed with all lyrics, cool photos and a fine page of background regarding the recordings of their albums. Siobhan is one cool gal! I love the front & back artwork, for it is both amusing, colorful & dramatic. I'm a sucker for dramatic stuff like this. Hopefully, Siobhan will continue recording lots of new material, using the "Shakespears Sister" title. I despise the crap we hear on the radio nowadays. Hopefully now that SF has released this package, the music will get more airplay. I like the nostalgic aspect of music from a decade ago, because it reminds us of how the music industry used to be non-commercial and fun. Yes...it's too bad that Siobhan and Marcella broke up, because their 2 uniquely different voices complimented one another. There hasn't been a duo like them since!
My Thoughts on the DVD...
I love it! The first & only video clip I've ever seen from "SS" is "STAY". Totaly blew me away since the first time I saw it. I've always loved seeing Siobhan as "Death", in her starry crown & black "Glitzy" outfit. She makes the perfect female version of "Death". I could never understand the video until now, because I never had the chance to see the entire thing on TV. The other videos are equally great and draw me closer each time.
I appreciate the "Chaptered" Menu for the videos. At least I know what's from where. The DVD was put together very well, and is packed with great stuff.
Fortunately, my DVD player on the Computer and the TV can play this All-Region PAL DVD. I haven't experienced any difficulties (skipping tracks or anything). It all plays fine. Actually, when i purchased this Item online, the item description said "NTSC Format (USA & CANADA)...so that's why I bought it. It may not apply to everyone's purchase, though.
DISC ONE (CD):
01- You're History
02- Heroine
03- Break My Heart (You Really)
04- Dirty Mind
05- Waiting
06- Goodbye Cruel World
07- Stay
08- I Don't Care
09- Hello (Turn Your Radio On)
10- I Can Drive
11- Excuse Me John
12- Can U Wait That Long?
13- Do I Scare You?
14- White Rabbit
15- Was It Something I Said?
DISC TWO (DVD):
01- Break My Heart (You Really)
02- Heroine
03- Run Silent, Run Deep
04- You're History
05- Dirty Mind (Remix)
06- The Russian Film (Featuring Dirty Mind & Heroine Live in Leningrad 1988)
07- Goodbye Cruel World
08- Stay
09- I Don't Care
10- Catwoman (Live)
11- My 16th Apology (Edit)
12- Hello (Turn Your Radio On)
13- I Can Drive
Additional Features/Info:
- Biography (Same as on 1st page of Linernotes booklet)
- Photo Gallery With Audio (Music)
- Credits (for Videos)
- CD Total Playing Time (62:03)
If you're an "SS" fan, this item is a MUST HAVE! Regardless the price, it's definitely worth owning! Thank You, Amazon, for making this item available through your Marketplace!"
EXCELLENT long awaited release!
Sakis | San Diego, originally Greece | 12/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been a fan of Shakespear's Sister , since i first saw the video for "You're History" back in 1989 - i lived in Greece then, and music TV shows there always showed Shakespears Sister videos on, something i am not sure has happened at all in the USA. I was hooked. Two gorgeous ladies (Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit) had a flair for pop/rock/alternative music and seemed to have LOTS of FUN, both in their songs and their visually stunning videos (curtesy of their collaboration with Sophie Muller who has done amazing work here as you can see on the DVD).
Their songs are dramatic, theatrical, melodic, full of passion, irony, and yes "real" girl power (as opposed to all the brainless mainstream manufactured pop we are bombarded with nowadays that doesn't even have 1/10th of the soul this album has). The earlier songs are more pop/electronic oriented, whereas the later ones are more rock/alternative oriented. Siobhan's most recent work is electroclash/glam rock/alternative sounding (one sample you can get from "White Rabbit" a remake that will be included in her soon to be released solo album).
This "Best Of" is missing one track i absolutely love "Run Silent" but it is included in the DVD, so you can have the video. I guess Siobhan felt it wasn't one of her favorites to include. Also some glitches have been reported about this all region PAL DVD so be aware of that, make sure your DVD player can play all region Pal DVDs (I have an NTSC DVD player that plays the videos after some effort in skipping to chapter after chapter until i get to the videos section).
"Best Of" includes 6 songs from the hard to find #3 album , which was just released this year independently by Siobhan Fahey from her official web site (and at select few online distributors). Those tracks alone are worth buying this CD. It is also worth saying that even after all these years i never get tired of listening to all the songs here. I do own both "Hormonally Yours" and "Sacred Heart", their first two albums, but it's nice to have the DVD with their videos , the never before seen photos inside the CD sleeve and of course the 6 songs from #3, plus all these excellent songs all together. It's a shame the band broke up, since both women complimented each other very well, like a Ying & Yang (demonic Siobhan, goody two shoes Marcella).
I guess we have Siobhan's solo work to look forward to in the future, but this album definitely brings lots of nostalgia back, to the early 90s, when the music industry wasn't deaf or blind i guess at the time to realy creative bands that didn't try to be followers, bands such as Shakespear's Sister could see the light of day, be properly promoted, therefore have the chance to be beloved by many fans and get the success they deserved worldwide (i think they are one of the most successful UK girl band duos ever).
Despite the steep price by US standards i think this cd/dvd combo is MORE than your money's worth. Buy it and you won't regret it."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1