Search - Sixpence None the Richer :: Mega 3 Collection

A Good Buy

Ross | West Lafayette, Indiana, USA | 09/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This really is a good buy. I mean...you get The Fatherless and the Widow, This Beautiful Mess, and Tickets for a Prayer Wheel, all for 15 dollars or so...or whatever. And though the CD's themselves look generic (as does the cover), the quality of the songs (sound-wise and everything) seemed great to me. I was glad to be able to listen to the older Sixpence songs. Now I have all 5 of their albums...and it's very fun and interesting to listen to how they've grown over the years, how each album has a certain atmosphere. If you are a devoted Sixpence fan, if you appreciate their thoughtful music, their lyrics, you should find this a nice package."

Must-have popcraft.

Lord Chimp | Monkey World | 05/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is a "City on a Hill" in pop music occupied by a few very special bands. This three disc collection is a great way to explore one of them. Most people at least know the band's mega hit "Kiss Me", which you probably either love or hate, but if you appreciate the Hardcore Pure Pop brilliance of that song you will want to hear this, because the band's early work shares that goodness (their later stuff too!). Basically, the defining features of this band, and the reasons for their pop mightiness, are Leigh Nash's lilting and sweet voice (her voice seemed to get higher, more child-like and elfin, as the band went on), and Slocum's brilliant pop guitars (and if ever you sought the secret to mastering pop guitars, I think it is to be found in SNtR's _This Beautiful Mess_). From there, all the pieces for the natural order of good songcraft fall into place. This early music is quite a bit less produced and dare I say "indie"-sounding than _Divine DIscontent_, but the production is still nice and snappy.The real treasure here is _This Beautiful Mess_. This album has by far the greatest pop guitars I have ever heard. Matt Slocum is an unrivaled master of his craft. The entire album is decked in reams and reams of sparkly, yummy dual guitar pop goodness. "Love, Salvation, The Fear of Death", "Within a Room Somewhere", "Thought Menagerie", "Drifting"...all of these songs feature some of the most lovable guitar playing ever. At the same time, there are a few tracks where the band sounds darker and more distorted, like on the opener "Angeltread", with contemplative, starry guitar chords on the verse that cave in to a grinding, distorted chorus, and a big feedback-heavy solo section. Kinda surprising. This album also has an extremely tight pop rhythm section, with bass playing that is often dexterously, addictively dynamic rather than just following the root note. _Fatherless and the Widow_ is also excellent, although they can be rather cloying when they get really sentimental (the end of the title track, for instance). Songs like "Fields of Flowers" and the brilliant "An Apology" give hints at the pop guitar greatness Slocum would achieve on the next album.The _Tickets for a Prayer Wheel_ EP is pretty good, with different mixes of some songs, some non-album tracks, and covers. The techno mixes are god-awful and you should probably never listen to them (what was done to "Love, Salvation, The Fear of Death" makes me want to cry). There are a few instrumental pieces that are like little instrumental pop lullabies (great guitars, of course).Now, the packaging for this Mega 3 Collection is pretty lame. A big ugly CD case with no information except for song titles and song publishing info is all you get. Nonetheless, it's a great deal. For the price of one album you get one of the best pop albums ever, an excellent pop album, and a few other good tracks on another cd. I'd say that's pretty good. Highly recommended, and hopefully the value is a good incentive because this music is quite delicious and you may like it."

The perfect introduction to a great band!

Oirelavid P'yror | Pennsylvania | 03/19/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 3 disc collection features the first 2 Sixpence albums, The Fatherless and the Widow and This Beautiful Mess, and their Tickets for a Prayer Wheel EP disc.



The Good~ All the original material is included, featuring great songs such as 'Circle of Error', 'Thought Menagerie', and 'Alisha's First Steps'. This Beautiful Mess was the best of the three hands down!



The Bad~ The production quality is a way sub-par when compared to Sixpence's more recent albums. The volume of these songs varies considerably, and often times her voice is completely drowned out by the music so you can't understand the lyrics. The music is often fuzzy also. It should have been remastered or something bfore it was released.



The Ugly~ The packaging should have been better designed. The ugly lavender and gold decor just doesnt seem like it would be an eye catcher and sell the product very well. Also, some of the tracks on the Tickets for a Prayer Wheel were pretty terrible. I'm talking about the over the top instrumental 'Solomon the Mystic' and the remix (why?) of 'Love, Salvation, The Fear of Death'



So, buy this if you're a fan of Sixpence, and you don't have the first albums. Or if you're a fan of 'Kiss Me' and you want to hear what they sounded like before they became famous. I thought it was a worthy purchase, despite it's quirks. It's a good value if you think about it!"