Search - System F :: Together

Mediocre...

rayvinazn | Okinawa, Japan | 02/23/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD really isn't worth the $49 that it's advertised. I got it here in Japan, paid $26, and still felt cheated. The uplifting style just doesn't sound right here, it almost sounds forced. Ferry can't live down the days when he did Exhale, Carte Blanche, or even Out of the Blue anymore. He's doing something even more drastic to his sound with recent releases like Punk, and Rock Your Body Rock. Almost sounds like Darude...poor guy, I'd rather have my music progress, rather than regress.If you're a die-hard Ferry fan, or just can't get enough of that JP-8080 sound, you'll probably enjoy this. Personally, as a Prog fan, I'm almost offended by this album."

Together.......well not quite !

shagyy | 03/12/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ferry releases another artists album for sale in japan only, i've just received my copy and i can honestly say that i am disapointed, most of the tracks sound the same with little production effort, dont get me wrong the album is in his style but will suit the far eastern market more than the european. The album itself is only an hour long so i dont think the european followers of ferry would be too happy with that. Ferry dosent often produce cheese, however one or two tracks do head off in that direction. The album will sell very well in japan though i think this will be more because he isnt as well known over there as he is in europe, the album will help to establish him and his production work a little more. Having said all that the album will have a home in my ferry collection which is quite extensive now, but this will be more of a novelty purchase than a must have. Judge for yourself and Happy listening !!!!!"

Mediocre, but for a reason...

C. Strachan | 06/30/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a huge fan of Ferry's work, I was disappointed at first to hear that this album wasn't getting a European release - but after hearing it I can see why. This album is targetted at the Japanese who love the uplifting, cheesy side of Ferry Corsten, and for that reason a lot of the tracks are, although obviously well-produced, distinctly lacking in originality.'Ligaya' is deservedly known as a great track, though the version on this album is cheesed-up - just a radio edit, with lame vocals. However, anything involving Ferry Corsten has to be good. The highlights of this album are, in my opinion, 'Ignition, Sequence, Start!', 'Spaceman', and 'Solarize'. Ferry made use of a couple of these, along with 'Together', as actual releases, and they certainly highlight the impressive sides of the System F sound. Most of the tracks on this album have basically the same structure, with Ferry's simple percussion, animated basslines, and filter-swept JP8000 leads. The melodies are very uplifting and well arranged, but the system gets quickly repetitive.The last two tracks, 'Q-Rious' and, even more so, 'Spread Your Wings' are almost offensively cheesy. 'Spread Your Wings' sounds completely like a pop song - poppy lyrics, a very basic uplifting melody, and typically quick breaks and build-ups. Other than these two questionable tracks, none of them are clear-cut poor productions, but simply carry a cheesy edge that would put some people straight off them.This album still does stuff for me. It's probably the last we'll hear of this kind of stuff from Ferry, as he's moved on a bit with the electro Punk-esque style, which is probably a good thing for the industry. Sure, it's all pretty similar and some of the tracks are especially cheesy, but we've gotta remember that this shouldn't really be counted as an A-Grade Ferry Corsten album - it is targetted ONLY at the Japanese, and wasn't given a European release for a good reason.It's almost like Ferry didn't want us to hear this, and only picked the cream of the album for vinyl releases in Europe, and I think had he released it in Europe, it would've met a bad reception - so the man has taken the right path with it. If you're a big fan of Ferry's work (especially his old work) then you'll still be addicted to this album, with its twisting riffs and all-round energetic feel.Ultimately, it's probably not worth the import costs, but if you get the chance to listen to it, go for it. It's very easy-going."