Melanie W. (novelwriter) from SURFSIDE BCH, SC Reviewed on 7/2/2007...
This a brilliant cd. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because there were a few songs that I didn't know on the CD. (Oh well.)
CD Reviews
Wilson Phillips are AMAZING!!~
Mark | 05/23/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wilson Phillips (Carnie & Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips) have put together a very good collection of songs with this release!! Here is a track by track review :HOLD ON - This is the song that started it all! Penned by Chynna Phillips, along with Carnie Wilson & Glen Ballard, this song is very uplifting, and so damn catchy!! The hook is arranged VERY well and is one of those hooks that sticks in your head all day! Love this song! AMAZING! (5/5)YOU WON'T SEE ME CRY - This song was the first release from the second album SHADOWS & LIGHT. This single didn't do as well as the previous ones, but still remains as one of Wilson Phillips' best tracks to date! (5/5)YOU'RE IN LOVE - This song is amazing! It soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a reason! The chorus is very catchy! It's a song that we wish we could all feel the same way about a particular somebody! (5/5)IMPULSIVE - This song features Wendy on the lead vocals... and she's great! Another hit from our favorite Wilson Phillips! Shot to #4 on the Billboard charts. (5/5)GIVE IT UP - This song was the second release from SHADOWS & LIGHT. Not as good as their other tracks. It's an uptempo song with horns that were inspired by Earth Wind and Fire's songs. (3/5)RELEASE ME - Awesome!! Another one of Wilson Phillips' best tracks! This was their 2nd single release from the debut album WILSON PHILLIPS. It's one of the only songs in which they sing together the whole way through. It's written solely by Chynna, Carnie and Wendy, and was the first song they ever wrote together for SBK Records! (5/5)THE DREAM IS STILL ALIVE - This song features Carnie's lower-toned vocals. It's a very good song! It charted at #12, but apparently (according to Carnie) didn't get the recognition deserved!! The chorus sticks on you.(4/5)FLESH AND BLOOD - This is a very sad song. Wendy & Carnie take lead on this song as a song to their estranged father Brian Wilson. Explaining it doesn't do the song justice. You have to hear it for yourself. (4/5)DANIEL - This is an amazing cover!! Originally an Elton John song, the girls do a completely awesome version of this classic! Elton & Bernie told Carnie it was one of the best covers they have ever heard!! Great song! (5/5)CONVERSATION WITH WILSON PHILLIPS - They talk about their music and the single "You're In Love"HOTEL CALIFORNIA (LIVE) - This song was done live in Tokyo I'm assuming in late 1990 early 1991, maybe even 1992 Not sure sorry! it's a very good version though!! (3/5)HOLD ON (LIVE) - This is great live! It shows that Wilson Phillips are not a studio trick! Their harmonies are great! (5/5)NAKED AND SACRED - This is Chynna Phillips' solo single of her solo album NAKED & SACRED. This is a great song!! I love it so much!! If you can find a copy, I strongly suggest checking out Chynna's release! It is absolutely AMAZING!! It's out of print, which is a shame, but try to find it used! Anyway, back to the song IT'S GREAT!! (5/5)MIRACLE - This is The Wilsons. Pretty good (3/5)EVERYTHING I NEED - Another Wilson's track. The record flopped because of no promotion, so these two songs may be unknown to you. (3/5)OVERALL : Great for any Wilson Phillips fan!! You've got a majority of the good material here!! Songs like "Someday I'll Be Next To You," "Over And Over," "This Doesn't Have To Be Love," and "It's Only Life" are also good too! Look for the Wilson Phillips' new CD out 2004!!"
ALL ABOUT THE HARMONIES.
S. Quinto | Guatemala, Guatemala | 05/13/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Wilson Phillips are all about the harmonies, their vocals are just supreme. Carnie, Chynna and Wendy are three talented ladies. Their self-titled debut album produced by Glenn Ballard is the main source for this long-awaited Greatest Hits. The 5 singles released from that record are here included in their radio airplay version, a delight for any fan w/o the singles. "Hold On" will always be their uplifting anthem all time classic, "Impulsive" it's a very moving and fast pop song, "You're In Love" is a tame melancolic ballad of letting go, "Release Me" heartbreakin up-ballad, "The Dream Still Alive" one of the most uplifting song ever made, the singles released from their second album where, not as succesful as their predescesor, "You Won't See Me Cry" a romantic ballad that does not achieve the emotion from any of the previous songs release, "Give It Up" an uptempo song, that sounded dated by 1992, "Flesh and Blood" was the most intimate and best single release of their sophomore album, but the only one to not hit the HOT 100, after that the group disbanded til 2004, but this album sure gives you a perfect view of the previous work of the Wilson Phillips as a groups and as individuals, highlighting the solo single from Chynna "Nacked and Sacred" a defenitly underrated song, this album is a must have to any POP fan, and does fullfil the appetitte for true hits."
Hits? What Hits?
k. lane | Florida, USA | 11/02/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Do not get me wrong, Wilson Phillips were hit makers. Smash hits even, three number one singles in fact. The girls had perfect pop number ones in the empowering "Hold On", the passionate "You're In Love", and the liberating "Release Me". They also went top five with "Impulsive", and top twenty with "The Dream Is Still Alive" and "You Won't See Me Cry". Their last certified top forty hit single was the bouncy "Give It Up". That's a total of seven top forty smash hits. Seven tracks? That's hardly strong enough to base a hits collection around, but they did it, with a heavy bit of padding.
The flop eighth Wilson Phillips single "Flesh & Blood" is included, for instance. It's not a suprise that it flopped, it's hardly a good song. "Daniel", an Elton John cover, was pulled from an Elton tribute collection for this album, along with, of all things, an old interview pulled off the b-side of the "You're In Love" single. Also culled from that same single is a live perfomance of "Hold On" recorded in Japan. The Eagles' "Hotel California" gets a live reworking from the girls, also recorded in Japan, it was pulled off the single for their last top twenty hit "You Won't See Me Cry".
The last three tracks included are the failed tracks of the girls various solo projects. Chynna Phillips' self-penned mid-tempo "Naked & Sacred" is a lovely pop song, and should honestly have done better than it did. Carnie & Wendy Wilson's collaboration with their father, Beach Boy legend Brian Wilson yielded some pretty nice songs, but really, the songs aren't as good as the trio's material or even Chynna's solo song.
Coming together, the album isn't bad, it's just weird. Wilson Phillips don't need a hits collection, especially if they're going to bad it with dull live versions and an interview. Their singles were great, but not in great enough number to deserve a collection like this. They should've waited."
Hmmm...They Only Had Two Albums
Aaron | Ohio, USA | 03/10/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Pretty surprising to see Wilson Phillips have a "Greatest Hits" album. They only made it through two albums before they broke up. Still, the girls had good voices and some great songs. Their first album was a smash going 5x platinum and is a wonderful pop record. Their second unfortunately didn't live up to it and although it wasn't really a flop, it did nowhere near what the first one did.This album's highlights are the singles from their debut. "Hold On" was a #1 hit and also the #1 single of 1990 and has a great, positive message. "Release Me" also hit #1 as did my personal favorite by them "You're In Love." "Impulsive" is also a great pop tune and made the top 10. "The Dream Is Still Alive" was the 5th single and managed to go top 20. Another top 10 hit is on here which is "You Won't See Me Cry" from their second album "Shadows and Light" as is the top 40 hit "Give It Up." I recommend Wilson Phillip's debut. It has all of the good songs and is what made Wilson Phillips what they were in the first place. This isn't a bad buy if you want the singles from their second album included, but otherwise, it's not needed."
This will tide me over until their new album comes out.
mst3k4evr | PA USA | 10/27/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this CD last year simply because I am a HUGE fan of Wilson Phillips. This CD has the regular version of "Hold On" but has the adult contemporary versions of "Release Me" and "The Dream is Still Alive"(I don't really care for the version of "The Dream..."). There is also a different version of "Impulsive" as well. I think it is the same version that is on the CD version of the first album(I am not sure because I tend to skip it when I listen to the first CD).As far as the second album hits go, the original version of "You Won't See Me Cry" is on here(though I think the last few seconds of the song are cut off). There is a version of "Give It Up" that sounds more "techno" than the version that is on the Shadows and Light CD. I listen to this song even though I don't care for it much. "Flesh and Blood" is also on here, but it is a little edited.After that is the "Conversation with Wilson Phillips", where they talk about their music and what it means to the fans. When you listen to it with headphones, it's like as if they are talking in your ear. It gives me chills. Then there is the live versions of "Hotel California" and "Hold On". "Hotel" was the only song on the CD that I have never heard before(their version; I HAVE heard of the original). It was love at first sound with that song. It is my favorite one on the CD. Their voices sound PERFECT on this song! I hope they record it in the studio someday. I first skipped over "Hold On" because I didn't want to hear it again after hearing it in the beginning of the CD. But I listened to it after a while and enjoyed hearing it live. Hearing both those songs makes me feel like I am actually at a WP concert, which I hope to experience someday. After those two is their version of "Daniel" off the Elton John "Two Rooms" CD.The last three songs were from their post-WP period. The first song is Chynna's "Naked and Sacred", which I liked the first time I heard it on her solo CD. I feel that this should have been a hit, but, sadly, it never was(at least in the US it wasn't).The last two songs were done by Carnie and Wendy when they called themselves "The Wilsons". The songs were "Miracle" and "Everything I Need". The first single off "The Wilsons" was "Monday Without You"(sadly, didn't make a dent in the charts), but it wasn't included on the CD. I think the songs that are on here were chosen because those two songs were the closest thing to Wilson Phillips on that CD.In closing, I gave it four stars because even though it was a nice collection of songs, there were some songs that I tend to skip over("Impulsive", "Give It Up").And yes, there WILL be a new album coming soon. I heard that it should be released sometime next summmer. I can't WAIT!!"