Spider - SpiderBetween the Lines (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

Simply the best band...

John Hulsebus | 12/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Spider's debut album was the very first album I ever bought when I was a kid and it remains my all-time favorite today. Amanda Blue's vocals cannot be surpassed by anyone. Their second album contains the original recordings of "Change" (later relased by John Waite) and "Better Be Good To Me" (later released by Tina Turner). Having these two albums on CD is a dream come true. Now if we could only get third album "Shanghai" released on CD..."

GREAT BAND, GREAT MEMORIES

J. stark | Nampa, ID | 01/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you like New-Wave rock along the lines of Blondie (pre-disco), you'll like this band. Solid riffs and catchy tunes are woven throughout this "Spider" web. I loved 'em in the 80's and they sound great now. Somebody stole my vinyls of these guys and I've waited a long time to see them on CD- I'm buyin' 'em and you should too. In addition to the great leads and killer vocals you get Anton Fig- best known now as the drummer for Paul Schaffer band (Dave Letterman). Good stuff, baby."

My Favourite Group on CD!!!

James Harris | N.E., OK USA | 01/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With the group-chemistry of The Beatles, comes my absolute favourite group of the early '80's, and since. The music is very AOR (album-oriented rock) of the early eighties, but created by an ensemble that finally has been released on CD! Both their 1st and 2nd albums are included on this one CD, and you can now find the original "Better Be Good To Me" and other songs by Holly Knight and the other's fabulous songwriting. This group should have had multiple hits, stayed together and become a rock legend, but fate had other plans. However, I am grateful to Renaissance Records for this re-issue, and hope that other "lost" bands receive this same second chance on CD!"

Uneven

Michael Allen | Minneapolis, MN | 11/05/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a reissue of Spider's first two albums. The first 10 songs (their first album) are brilliant! There's heaps of energy, good songwriting, and the *amazing* voice of Amanda Blue. The band includes Anton Fig (now the drummer in David Letterman's band) and Holly Knight (one of the top songwriters of the 1980s.) This was one of my favorite albums on vinyl and it holds up extremely well today.

The last 10 songs are less than spectacular - probably the result of a band returning to the studio before they were ready, with second-string songs. While the musicianship is good, the recording lacks energy - and the songs just aren't as good.

There is a slight technical problem with songs 5 & 10 - about a 30 second silence at the end of each song (these were at the end of each side of the vinyl album. Hmmm...) I used an mp3 editor to remove the silences & return the tracks to their original lengths for iTunes - most people aren't going to be able to do this.

Buy this CD for the first 10 songs - you won't be disappointed. Just ignore that stuff at the end."

A great secret of the era...

Brian Kehew | Los Angeles | 02/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Spider were not unkowns, they had a radio hit or two. But over time, the quality of these two albums has been emphasized by the effect the band had later on: Covers of these songs became definitive singles for other artists - particularly John Waite's on "Change" and Tina Turner's "Better Be Good to Me". Drummer Anton Fig became legendary for his nightly appearances with David Letterman. And keyboardist/writer Holly Knight had scores of Top Ten singles written for other artists: Animotion, Pat Benatar, etc.

These two albums on CD are a long-realized dream for the many avid fans of Spider. They may not have been "cutting edge" of anything, but they were a SOLID rock band with pop-accessible songs. Sounding somewhat like a cross between Cheap Trick, the Producers, and Fleetwood Mac, they mixed some neat new-wave aspects with 70's hard rock. Ballads were also a strong suit, and there are certainly #1 hits hidden in here for other artists looking for that perfect "cover" to do..."

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