Terrific Compilation!
Morten Vindberg | Denmark | 02/11/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This compilation of the Cardigans is really great and as good as a 2 CD collection can be hoped for. CD one contains the the singles along with a few selected album-tracks. Big fans of the band will already have the majority, if not all, of these songs. If you are not familiar with the Cardigans, this CD is highly recommended, as it covers the whole career of the band from 1994 till 2005.
CD 2 contains rarities and B-sides and this will obviously be the one that big fans of the band will appreciate the most. I'm not aware of any tracks missing that should have been included. Moreover the quality of most these tracks is on par with the material found on their regular albums.
Personally I first really began to appreciate the band after "Long Gone Before Daylight", when their sound had become more tighter and fuller. The change from the early "thin" ( but charming ) sound of their early albums had in fact already begun with "Gran Turismo", which contains the great "Erase and Rewind", and even "Been it" from the previous album sounds just right. "Long Gone Before Daylight" is my clear favourite album, and all songs from that album would have been great picks for a compilation. Furthermore the outtakes and B-sides from this period, and included here, are as good as the best songs on the two recent albums. "The Road", "Hold Me", "If There's a Chance", "For the Boys", "Less Like Me" and "Slowdown Town" are all outstanding songs and at least as good as the hits on CD 1.
Fine booklet with interesting notes about each song.
Highly recommended."
The best of a fine back-catalogue
giovanni | Greece | 01/24/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Cardigans were 1995's brightest pop suprise when they first emerged in the european music scene with " Life " and further managed a number of things in the years to follow : they significantly expanded their fanbase , made it to America with their 1996 number one hit-single " Lovefool " and outlived a crowd of peers ( Sleeper , Elastica , Cast , the Bluetones , Catatonia and Echobelly to name just a few ) who received far more generous amounts of hype by the music press back in the day , yet failed to keep the audience's interest in them on the longrun . Most impportantly though , is the evolution the group displayed as artists , experimenting with different sounds and styles and channeling new creative paths from album to album.
Indeed , their metamorphosis from the sunny , beautiful kids with retro influences of the mid 90's to the dark , cool and sophisticated country-rock musicians of the mid 00's is , at least to say , impressive . A lot of it seemed to be due to the desire by the band to shed their old skin as they themselfs where growing up and going through changes . On their first couple of records they were just out of their teens , enjoying life and all it's little pleasures ( a ride with daddy's car maybe ? ) . Then , on " First Band Of The Moon " , they added more cheeky humour and and poisonous sugar to their sound .
If the 80's were a decade known for outrageous haircuts and a happy , over-the-top approach to music and style , the 90's where a decade where some of the most depressing music ever released went top 20 .In that era of grudge and britpop , the Cardigans were an interesting off-field presence . Maybe the mood of the times caught up with them and they gave dark electronica a try with 1998's " Gran Turismo " from which came their second biggest hit , " My Favourite Game " . Bands like Garbage and Morcheeba were ruiling the airwaves at the time , still it was particularly suprising for me seeing Mrs.Persson , so enigmatic with her doll-like feautures , starting in the mysterious and twisted video of " Hanging Around " which almost felt like a David Lynch piece . " Long Gone Before Daylight " saw them returning back to the basics in a way , with amazing results while their swam song " Super Extra Gravity " was the work of now music veterans ( strangely enough , still in their mid thirties ) who proved that could also rock pretty damn good on tracks such as " I Need A Fine Wine And You , You Need To Be Nicer "
Not all those transitions went by smoothly for all fans , ( I for once ,had a difficulty embracing some of the late 90's material to be honest ) but this 2008 best of wisely includes all the stand-out songs from their 5 international albums in chronological order . While the older songs might be more known , it's their more recent , more undiscovered work that deserves the extra attention . Even more songs could have been included from 2003's LGBTD ( arguably their best record yet ) , such the heartbreaking " Couldn't Care Less " or " A Good Horse " while the three tracks from 2005's more rough-edged " ...Gravity " are some of the most meaty , gripping material they ever written . Some omisions are inevitable ( personally i would love to see more of the quirky , dreamy melodies of Emmerdale make the cut ) but overall this is truly a pop gem , especially for the younger listeners who might not be that much aware of their work ."
The Best Of
Bjorn Viberg | European Union | 05/30/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Best Of is a compilation album released by the Cardigans 2008 and did quite well in Scandinavia peaking in the top 10 of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Elsewhere in Europe it did alright but nothing special, peaking at #32 in the UK chart. Here we get great tracks such as "Rise & Shine", "Lovefool" and "My Favorite Game". The booklet contains no lyrics but we get liner notes for each track and two great photographs. The cover I do not like as it looks like a friend drew that at random. 4/5."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1