Roxette: The Ballad Hits [Limited Edition] [Import]

Product Description
Limited edition of the Swedish rock-pop duo's 2002 ballads compilation includes a bonus EP with four tracks, 'The Weight Of The World' (prev. unreleased), 'It Hurts' (prev. unreleased), 'See Me' (B-side) & 'Every Day' (prev. unreleased).

Roxette: The Ballad Hits,Roxette,EMI Int'l,5"CD Singles,Adult Contemporary,Euro-Pop,Pop,Pop/Rock,Rock,Sweden,Swedish Pop/Rock

Average customer rating:

Something to slow dance to
ULTIMATE ROXETTE PART ONE
A masterpiece for fans; a great intro for Roxette virgins
What becomes of the broken hearted??
Love hypnosis

The Ballad Hits
Roxette
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Pop Hits
Don't Bore Us Get to the Chorus : Roxette's Greatest Hits
Joyride
Look Sharp!
Listen To Your Heart

ASIN: B00007B4EA
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

A Thing About You
It Must Have Been Love
Listen To Your Heart
Fading Like A Flower
Spending My Time
Queen Of Rain
Almost Unreal
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Vulnerable
You Don't Understand Me
Wish I Could Fly
Anyone
Salvation
Milk and Toast and Honey
Breathe

Amazon.com

From 1989 to 1991, Roxette dominated the charts with a string of super-dramatic hits. "Listen to Your Heart," "It Must Have Been Love," "Fading like a Flower"--classics all, and they're all here, along with much else. Their ballads don't always follow the duo's comic dictum—Don't bore us, get to the chorus." "Queen of Rain," with its moving oboe breaks, takes time to grow, as does the string-laden "Crash! Boom! Bang!" There are misses here, too, notably "You Don't Understand Me," co-written with hit-maker Desmond Child, and "Salvation" sounds like a collage of other people's work. Fortunately, the two new tracks--"A Thing About You" (sung by songwriter Per Gessle) and "Breathe"--are sweet and strong enough to repair the damage. --Dominic Wills

Customer Reviews:

Something to slow dance to.......2006-03-20

If you have a date that you like to slow dance to or romanticize this is the disc to listen to.

ULTIMATE ROXETTE PART ONE.......2006-02-22

DEFINITIVELY THE BEST SONGS OF ROXETTE ARE THE BALLADS, THIS ALBUM CONTAINS ALL THEIR GREATEST HITS FROM THIS GENERE, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS CD IS A REMASTER BUT SOUNDS VERY GOOD, AND IF YOU WANT THE TOTAL ROXETTE HITS GET THIS WITH "THE POP HITS" ALBUM, THERE ARE "THE LOOK","DRESSED FOR SUCCES","JOYRIDE","DANGEROUS", AND MORE, IT SOUNDS VERY GOOD TOO, TOGETHER MAKE THE ULTIMATE ROXETTE, VERY RECOMENDABLE.

A masterpiece for fans; a great intro for Roxette virgins.......2005-11-07

This album does exactly what a greatest hits package should do -- showcase a group at its best. Roxette fans already know the material here, so seeing the songs that ended up on this collection of ballads will come as no surprise. If for some reason you were on Mars for the past 15 years or so (or maybe you weren't old enough) and missed out on even the relatively brief U.S. infatuation with Sweden's dynamic duo, here's a great chance to see what Europe has loved for more than a decade.

The earlier stuff is classic, of course -- name someone over the age of 30 who doesn't remember "It Must Have Been Love" or "Listen to Your Heart" -- and the later tunes reveal that Marie and Per didn't lose their touch. "Milk and Toast and Honey" sounds like a lame title, but then you hear the song and it's a perfect piece of mellow pop.

The two new cuts -- "A Thing About You" and "Breathe" are perfect bookends to this collection, with the latter being perfectly American radio-worthy for when this collection came out in 2002.

Of course, there's always something missing in a compilation like this. My one vote goes to the song "The Rain" (not to be confused with "Watercolours in the Rain," "Waiting for the Rain" or "Queen of Rain") from "Tourism." If not for its repetitiveness, the song could be a top 30 U.S. hit for them today.

The other hope is for an "Essential Collection" or ultimate hits package where they combine this album with "The Pop Hits." Guess we'll have to wait a few years...but the wait should be worth it.

What becomes of the broken hearted??.......2005-10-16

Roxette writes songs for us, that's what happens dammit!!! As a proud wearer of two tattoos of broken hearts(damn scoundrels!!!); I can attest that this cd is perfect for making you feel melancholy. It's Roxette at it's best; moody, dark, and also just the right amount of tenderness. This is something you want to listen to alone for the first few times; alone in a darkened room, cd playing, glass of wine or beer nearby, and the memories of the good or bad relationships you've had. Then you'll be able to share it with your current significant other.

Love hypnosis.......2005-05-25

Roxette are experts in love songs that creates a love hypnosis.

Favorite songs are:
It Must Have Been Love
Queen of Rain
Spending My Time
Vulnerable
Fading Like a Flower
Listen to Your Heart_________
Well every song is great but those are my favorites.

Here's a little list of great scandinavian
bands if that is something you seek:

Him / Ace of base / The Sounds / Jens Lekman / Bjork / Aha /
Elin Sigvardsson / Nightwish / The Hives / Hellacopters / Abba /
/ The Ark / Secret garden / Lene Marlin / Sahara hotnights
Little chris ( only availible in sweden,i think )

Average customer rating:

Ballad Brilliance
As simple as that ... it doesn't get better.
Roxette and more Roxette
great compilation.
Genial, como todo lo de Roxette

Roxette: The Ballad Hits
Roxette
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Swedish Pop | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Euro Dance | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music

Pop | Imports | Stores | Music
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The Pop Hits

ASIN: B00006RZ5X
Release Date: 2002-12-17

Tracks:

A Thing About You
It Must Have Been Love
Listen To Your Heart
Fading Like A Flower
Spending My Time
Queen Of Rain
Almost Unreal
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Vulnerable
You Don't Understand Me
Wish I Could Fly
Anyone
Salvation
Milk And Toast And Honey
Breathe

Tracks:

The Weight Of The World
It Hurts
See Me
Every Day

Album Description

Limited edition of the Swedish rock-pop duo's 2002 ballads compilation includes a bonus EP with four tracks, 'The Weight Of The World' (prev. unreleased), 'It Hurts' (prev. unreleased), 'See Me' (B-side) & 'Every Day' (prev. unreleased).

Album Details

Special Limited Edition of the Popular Swedish Duo's Best Ballads Collection that Includes a Bonus CD with Four More Than the Regular Issue.

Customer Reviews:

Ballad Brilliance.......2004-05-25

Pity Roxette has faded from the public eye so much over the years since the mid-nineties, they've still got the knack.
A new album would have been preferable of course, but at least we get a few new songs.
I'm appreciating Roxette's ballads more then ever these days, and this CD is chock full of great ones.
My opinion on each of the songs:

1. A Thing About You:
Fairly low-key compared to most of the other tracks here, but an enjoyable return to the classic harmonies that made us fall in love with Roxette in the first place. 7.5/10

2. It Must Have Been Love
Impossible to dislike this classic ballad, but it's not my favourite Rox song despite what the booklet says.
My favourite part is definatly during the fade-out actually, when Gessle joins in the vocals. 8/10

3. Listen to Your Heart.
One of the most successful Roxette songs, but it's never inspired me as much as it does other fans.
It's a pretty good song, but overlong, and starting to sound dated. 7/10

4. Fading Like a Flower
Slam-bam rocking ballad that could easily fit on the pop hits compliation. Great guitars, and very catchy. 8/10

5. Spending my Time
Superb ballad, that hasn't aged much at all- should've been an even bigger hit then it was. 9/10

6. Queen of Rain
Elegant and atmospheric, this is a VERY underrated track. 8.5/10

7. Almost Unreal
The highlight for me in this song is the middle-8 with Per's 'It's a crazy world out there' vocals. 7.5/10

8. Crash! Boom! Bang!
A song of epic proportions, one that gets better with each listen. 9/10

9. Vulnerable
Mellow and sweet, there's a lot of people who aren't keen on this one - but I'm not one of them.
8/10

10. You Don't Understand Me
Goodish song, but not one of my favourites. 7/10

11. Wish I Could Fly
Epitome of a sweeping ballad, this glorious return should have brought Roxette back to superstardom. 10/10

12. Anyone
Unfortunely no one much cared for this song on it's original release however, and though according to the booklet it's 'gaining momentum,' it's not often on my play list. 5/10

13. Salvation
Back to form with a vengeance, this is one of my all-time favourites. 10/10

14. Milk and Toast and Honey
Pretty, Breezy track from the 'Room Service' album. 7.5/10

15. Breathe

This album closer is the second new song, and is very worthy to be on the same CD as all the other greats.
Ambient and indeed 'irresistable,' as Gessle tells us. 8/10

Bonus Trax:

1. The Weight of the World
I just start to get into this song when it finishes right out of the blue... Wierd, it's like Gessle got sick of it, and just stopped it half-way through, it clocks in at under three minutes. Oh well. 7/10

2. It Hurts
Sounds very much like a demo, but it's very listenable. 7/10

3. See Me
Wonderful ambient song in the vein of 'Breathe.'
It's often compared to Enya's work, but the melody is very Gessle (which is why I was a little surprised to find the music was written my Marie, the first of which on this 2 disk set). 8/10

4. Every Day
The second Marie composed track is an OK, but somewhat unremarkable way to end the disc. 7/10

I hope we do eventually see another Roxette album, but if not, then this and the 'Pop Hits' compilation aren't a bad way to call an end to the Joyride.

As simple as that ... it doesn't get better........2003-08-16

Well, here they are ... 13 golden greatest Roxette ballads (does it get better?), 2 new ones, and if you get a hand on the now not-so-available limited edition, 4 extra ones to make your day perfect.

As it aptly says in the inlay card, 'It Must Have Been Love' is "everybody's favourite Roxette track" - and no wonder. The ballads have in my oppinion always been the major force of Roxette (even though I do find their pop hits absolutely delighting, and wouldn't live without them!). And this CD contains a very impressive collection ... 'It Must Have Been Love', 'Listen To Your Heart', 'Fading Like A Flower', 'Spending My Time', 'Crash!Boom!Bang!', 'Wish I Could Fly', 'Anyone', 'Salvation' ... well well, I ought perhaps just list the complete set-list. And the two new songs are terrific! 'A Thing About You' might take a little time to grow on you, but the harmonies of Per's and Marie's voices on this one are marvelous. 'Breathe' more or less just blows you away, simple but lovely, what more could one ask?

As is always the case with compilation CDs, fans will complain about lack of completeness. This time I actually think they did a quite decent job in selecting the song, with one exception - '(Do You Get) Ecxited?' ought have been included - this was a major hit in Denmark I'm pretty sure, a video was shot for it, and it was one of the highlights of the Joyride album. And it is not because of lack of disc space, the CD runs for only 60-some minutes. Of course I have my own favorites I should have liked to see incluted - I could name a long list from the superb Have A Nice Day album, probably one of the most underrated pop-albums of all time (and easily Roxette's best). However, two tracks that were never released for single would have deserved two have been included, since these are among the very best Roxette songs of all times - these are 'Beautiful Things' from Have A Nice Day (I know I'm far from the only one rating this as the best Roxette song ever) and 'My World, My Love, My Life' from Roomservice, a ballad nearly as impressive as the before mentioned. Neither might have great radio-potential, but this really says nothing about the quality of the songs.

The bonus EP contains 4 songs of surprising quality - the songs get better from first to last. 'The Weight Of The World' is good, but the two last songs, 'See Me' and especially 'Everyday' are fantastic, actually comparable in quality to the songs on the real CD. Very nice surprise, as this kind of extra material is often of mediocre quality (as is in fact the case with the Pop Hits bonus EP, in my opinion).

All in all, there is only one thing to say: Don't cheat yourself of this one. If you go buy it tomorrow you'll regret you didn't buy it today.

Roxette and more Roxette.......2003-07-30

Get the bonus tracks CD version. The extra tracks are wonderful.

great compilation........2003-07-18

It is sad that Roxette is one of the great European bands that will never see recognition in The States. This is an excellent compilation of their ballads. I am glad that they decided to release 2 greatest hits cd's instead of mixing up-beat songs with the slow ones. It is wery well worth getting both releases The Ballad hits as well as The POP hits.

Genial, como todo lo de Roxette.......2003-04-10

Excelente recopilación con un puñado de bellísimas baladas!! Algunas que no conocía y que me han sorprendido gratamente.
Todas son excelentes canciones pero merecen especial comentario Breathe, letra maravillosa y la música transporta, genera un hermoso ambiente!!
You Don't Understand Me una de mis favoritas de siempre!! Esta edición especial trae un disco con 4 bonus tracks excelentes!
Nota importante, cada canción trae un breve comentario del dúo,resulta interesante leer sus apreciaciones al respecto!
Se supone que el CD viene con protección de copia, cosa común en los productos de EMI, eso implica que trae su propio software reproductor para cuando pones el CD en tu PC, sin embargo yo pude escucharlo en mi versión de MusicMatch sin problema.
Si eres fan de Roxette qué estás esperando??? Es un gran disco para tu colección!!
Y a apoyar a Marie para que salga adelante de su problema de Salud!!