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intereact!Everything But the Girl
Retail Price (not our price): $18.98
Release Date: 2005-03-15
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...
| Disc 1 |
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Album Description
Vocalist Tracy Thorn and multi-instrumentalist Ben Watt began making music together as Everything But the Girl in the early '80s while students at Hull University in the U.K. By the '90s their spare-yet-sensual, jazz-inflected tunes evolved nito a richly textured fusion of pop and electronica-"Pop-Tronica"-that shimmered with diverse musical idioms. A favorite both in the clubs and with critics and aficionados, the duo's innovative sound has become iconic to the genre.
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
1) Gorgeous Electronica to Chill With [Rating: 4 out of 5]
Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn are living legends. Not since Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox were at their peak as Eurythmics has there been a stylish British duo whose music combines solid producing and songwriting skills with the spell cast by a vocalist of great individuality and power. Furthermore, at a moment in Everything But the Girl's history when most bands would have gone under or - even worse - become a living fossil imprisoned forever within the mausoleum of Adult Contemporary, EBTG chose to adapt rather than die, and along the way became one of the most widely respected and influential bands in the business. Until 1995, EBTG were no more than a cult band, known for their jazzy stylings and nostalgic evocation of a pre-rock era atmosphere of trenchcoats, Left Bank cafes and Nouvelle Vague hip (Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn are nothing if not living examples of cool hipster Euro-chic at its best). After gaining a lot of critical attention during the mid-to-late '80's jazz-pop revival, and scoring their first top 10 UK hit (a cover of Rod Stewart's "I Don't Want To Talk About It") in 1988, EBTG made the shark-jumping decision to go for US radio success. Their first album under their deal with Atlantic records (1990's "The Language of Life") remains their only major misstep, abandoning their customary sleek jazzy stylings in favor of necrotic midtempos a la Burt Bachrach and Carole Bayer Sager. Despite some airplay on the kind of radio stations targeted at suburban housewives, the record managed to alienate their older fans and wasn't particularly memorable to boot. Then, Ben Watt developed a rare bone-marrow disease and nearly died. Tracey Thorn's voice fell silent as EBTG took a hiatus which many fans feared permanent. Fortunately, 1994 brought us the deeply felt "Amplified Heart," a collection of stripped-down folk numbers which suggested a return to the fundamental roots of popular music-making (a few good songs, a great vocalist and perfect guitar play) and a fresh start. In 1995, fate intervened. A chance introduction and a newly-recovered Ben Watt's developing interest in electronic music led EBTG to producer Todd Terry's studio and a remix of an "Amplified Heart" track called "Missing." The house beats and the emotions were equally deep, and the song was an instant classic. Perhaps not since Bob Dylan abandoned his acoustic and plugged in his electric had an artist changed styles so abruptly. Overnight, EBTG went from being a little-known cult band to massive worldwide success. What could they do for an encore? And how to avoid the accusations of "selling out?" Miraculously, their follow-up record, 1996's "Walking Wounded" demonstrated Watt's new mastery of ambient and deep house chords, which - combined with Thorn's sensuous-yet-chilly-alto and the duo's basic songwriting skill - made for a powerful set and international hits like "Wrong" and "Mirrorball." EBTG had accomplished something few acts in the music business have managed to do - they changed their musical style, became worldwide successes and attracted a horde of new followers without alienating their old fans or losing critical acclaim in the process. Amazing! Although the group has been on hiatus since 1999's smash hit set, "Temperamental," Ben Watt's work as a DJ, producer and promoter has kept them current, and this remix set makes a beautiful stopgap until the long-awaited day arrives when Ben and Tracey return to the studio together. "Adapt or Die" might be subtitled. "The EBTG Story," for it demonstrates the reason for their successful transformation into an electronic act with soul. The songs here (aside from the now-inevitable "Missing" and the great "Corcovado") mostly come from "Walking Wounded" and "Temperamental," so longtime fans won't find any surprises here. The marvelous thing about this record is how fresh the songs still sound today ("Walking Wounded" is now 10 years old after all) and how relevant. Each remix puts Thorn's amazing voice front and center and never forgets (with one unfortunate exception) what makes every track click in the first place. This is first-class electronica, equally suitable to chill to or to dance to, with just the right balance between technology and soul. Highlights of this set are a gorgeous version of "Corcovado" which is impossible not to dance to, a stunning reinterpretation of "Five Fathom" and Kenny Dope's electro-jazz reimagining of "Downhill Racer." There is only one clunker on this set - an unfortunate remix of "Temperamental" which sounds like a funeral dirge and ought to have been erased the next day. Just skip over that one and let the rest of this gorgeous record flow over your spirit. For those of us wondering what EBTG will do for their next record, now that modern dance music is bigger than ever and electro-clash has come and gone, "Adapt or Die" is a great preview of coming attractions.2) Pleasantly surprised [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Everything but the girl has never sounded so good... truly awesome remixes, if you like good modern mixing talent coupled with oldies but goodies. I especially recommend Corcovado, which I think is unlike any other I've heard before... Beautiful voice, great sounds, and a pleasant flow from song to song. A highly recommended chillout CD...3) A good dance CD that's unfortunately uneven - you'll like it but not greatly [Rating: 4 out of 5]
This remix album of some of Everything But The Girl's better songs is good, albeit uneven. It does make for some pretty good dance music, though. The album starts off very strongly, but it starts to fall apart after "Corcovado". The remixes are mostly pretty well done, and on occasion even better than their original counterparts (see the first three tracks)! Singer Tracy Thorn has a pretty great voice, even if it's sort of a guilty pleasure. A good amount of people should like it, I think. This is mainly meant to be a dance album, and it somewhat succeeds in that department. I think the best way to utilize the album would be to play single tracks off of it. If you're looking for a good dance album then this will probably at least satisfy you. Recommended.Highlights include:"Mirrorball""Before Today""Missing""Corcovado" (sort of)"Downhill Racer" (sort of)"Single""Five Fathoms" (sort of)"Temperamental" (sort of)"Wrong""Driving"4) Must Have for the EBTG Collection [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I recently went online to see if Everything But the Girl had released anything new since Temperamental and came across this CD. I immediately purchased and it hasn't left my car since. While granted that this a remix album, it does nothing to shortchange the absolute brilliance of EBTG. The best mix for me is Lullaby of Clubland. I think I listened to this song about 20 times in a row from the first time I heard it. The classics are also here: Missing and Wrong. It was listening to those two songs in the clubs ten years ago that first introduced me to EBTG, of which I am so eternally grateful. I recently played the Missing remix from the CD at a DJ gig I did two weeks ago and the reaction blew me away. Missing is still the quintessential club staple after all these years. EBTG rules!5) Great Remixes. [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Remix albums are a hot thing now and Everything But The Girl were definitely in line to release their own remixes on an album. I am always first in line to purchase any remix album that comes out and this release is definitely worth it. It contains some awesome tracks and EBTG are definitely one of the artists from the 90's that wont be forgotten. Especially since they re-released a Todd Terry remix of the massive pop club track Missing. Of course on this release they don't have the Todd Terry remix of Missing but a rare unreleased CL McSpadden Powerhouse Mix. The remix definitely takes me back to 1995 when club and house music were exploding and this track was definitely one of the songs to help do that. I especially love the Knee Deep Remix/Ben Watt Vocal Re-Edit of Corcovado. It's got that hot Latin House vibe going for it and it definitely gets the groove going. The DJ Jazzy Jeff Sole Full Remix of Mirrorball has been given that extra deep downtempo beat to make for a laidback soulful remix. It's originally a great track and this version has definitely improved upon how wonderful it is. Kevin Yost's Everything And A Groove Mix of Five Fathoms is just remix perfection. I originally had this remix on the CD single and it was refreshing to definitely to hear it again. I like the way they have broken down with the remixes and they include both very upbeat ones and laidback ones as well. Lastly it's excellent to end the CD with an acoustic version of Driving. I great touch to an awesomely produced CD. Worth it for any fan of remixes.SJBest Playlists