Vaselines - Way of (19 tracks) +Album Reviews

I'm right

eugene kelly | glasgow Scotland. | 06/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this album is great i've got to say that because i was in the vaselines.it was not recorded on a four track machine as someone says elsewhere here. it was recorded in chamber studios in Edinburgh on a 16 track desk onto quality tape.
sorry to be pedantic but i still love this record."

Has to be heard to be believed

Daniel Clarke (danny_28@yahoo.com) | Northern Ireland | 07/04/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the second or third listening of 'The Way of The Vaselines' it is easy to see why Kurt Cobain loved this band so much. From the instantly recognisable crisp recording of Son Of A Gun, to the slowed down masterpiece that is Dying For It (the blues), this album will be sticking in your head for weeks. I was very cautious in buying this cd as I had never heard of the Vaselines before in my life, but I now realise it was stupid to feel this way as the justification of spending $14 for something I'd never heard comes from listening to the songs. Way of the Vaselines is a top buy and extremely recommended."

Not the pixies.

Joshua R. Davis | Seattle, Washington United States | 03/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Life changing? For me yes. Would you dig it? Hard to say .Many people compare the Vaselines to the Pixies but that's missing the point. They sound like bored Scottish teens with overflowing musical ideas and a tremendous urge to get it out as soon as possible. All the songs on this collection are sleazy, simple and beautiful. Oh and there is a Divine cover. What else do you need a shot of whiskey with that steak. Any one know what happened to Francis?"

A little known classic

Daniel Maltzman | Arlington, MA, USA | 06/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Browsing through the CDs at a local store the other day, I came upon "The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete Anthology" (1992). The name was familiar, if not the music. I had heard of the Vaselines, like a lot of people have, because of course Nirvana has covered a few of their songs on the "Incesticide" (1992) and "MTV Unplugged" (1994) albums. Because (1) Kurt Cobain loved the band and had mentioned them numerous times in various interviews, and (2) the Vaselines are something of indie-pop/rock icons, I decided to check their album out.

I was instantly captivated with just one listen of "The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete Anthology." It's a truly great CD by an underappreciated band that is both instantly addictive and remains enjoyable and intriguing with repeated listens.

Clocking in at slightly less than an hour, there is a surprising amount of diversity to be found on this single disc which encompasses the band's entire body of work. While the Vaselines are sometimes pigeonholed as "indie-pop," their songs range from punk to 60s-esque acoustic/folk, to "indie-pop." At times it sounds as though the band has a strong Donovan influence, but then the album will take a 180 degree turn and show its punk teeth. There is even a little new-wave thrown in the mix with the off-beat "You think you're a man."

The contrasting male/female vocal interplay between singers/founders Eugene Kelly and Frances Mckee works very nicely and is not unlike the style of X, the B-52s, and more recently Lacuna Coil.

Listening to this CD, it's easy to see where Kurt Cobain, Mudhoney, Iron & Wine, and no doubt others found inspiration. While the Vaselines lasted for only a few years (1986-1990) and produced a very small body of work, their talent and influence shouldn't be devalued.

"

Man, why didn't I hear of them earlier?

aharon levy | brooklyn | 08/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to The Vaselines is like getting the history of alternative pop in a blender. Their songs are rough and sweet, loud and soft, toothgrindingly specific and gleefully abstract. The variety recalls nothing so much as that other great, chameleonic, also-ran boy/girl band The Mekons. Touches of blues, folk and electropop peek around the edges of the straight-ahead punky pop, sung and played with abandon, humor, raunch and surprising skill."

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