The Best of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth: Good Life

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
75-plus minutes of brilliantly remastered ''sheets of sound''. Includes cuts from the soundtracks Poetic Justice and Menace II Society, and 'Take Your Time' from Pete Rock's solo debut, Soul Survivor. Elektra/Rhino. 2003.

The Best of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth: Good Life,Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,Elektra / Wea,East Coast Rap,Golden Age,Jazz-Rap,Pop,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop

Tracks:

Rough Boys
Let My Love Open The Door
Misunderstood
Give Blood
A Friend Is A Friend
Sheraton Gibson
English Boy
Street In The City
Pure And Easy
Slit Skirts
The Sea Refuses No River
A Little Is Enough
Face The Face
Uneasy Street (Previously Unreleased)
Let My Love Open The Door (E. Cola Mix)

Amazon.com

For awhile there, ol' Pete had a pretty nifty solo career going. Who Came First, his 1972 solo debut, sidestepped comparisons to the Who by tackling spiritual themes with low-key charm, qualities that resurfaced on Rough Mix, his wonderful 1977 duo record with Ronnie Lane. Then came Empty Glass, which was both grand and successful, like peak Who. From then on, Townshend's been mostly grandiose and unsuccessful. Meaning this solo overview ain't half bad and is mostly very good. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Best for the casual fan.......2007-03-12

As a hard core fan of Pete Townshend, I can't rate this collection five stars because there are too many songs missing that deserve consideration for a career retrospective. However, if you're a casual fan, this is probably the best collection of Townshend's music to buy. It includes all of PT's most popular songs, that is those that still get radio play ("Let My Love Open the Door", "Slit Skirts" and "Face the Face"), as well as enough of his lesser known tunes to give you a good idea of the various directions he has taken in his career.

Those really into Townshend's music will be better served with the more recent "Gold" double disc collection, but this "Best of..." collection is ideal for those who just want a few highlights from one of rock's most interesting and talented songwriters.

A legendary guitarist and his mixed bag of solo mateial.......2007-02-28

THE BAND: Pete Townshend (guitar, lead vocals)... and an assortment of players over the decades including - John "Rabbit" Bundrick (keyboards), Simon Townshend (guitar), Jon Carin (guitar, keyboards), Pino Palladino (bass), Kenney Jones (drums), Simon Phillips (drums), Doug Sandom (drums), and Zak Starkey (drums).

THE DISC: (1996) 15 tracks clocking in at just over 70 minutes. Included with the disc is a 5-page foldout containing song titles/credits/times, a brief paragraph from Townshend about each song, several photos of Townshend over the decades, what song came from which album and the year released. This compilation covers his solo career from 1972-95. Digitally remastered sound. Label - Atlantic.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Who Came First (2 songs), Rough Mix (2), Empty Glass (3), All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (2), White City (2), Iron Man/Musical (1), Psychoderelict (1), Unreleased (2).

COMMENTS: Pete Townshend's solo career is a total mixed bag of hits and misses. Outside of "Empty Glass" (1980) and perhaps "White City" (1985)... not one album stands out as a must have. Townshend has a few compilations out there - most notably "Definitive" (17 tracks in chronological order) released in 2007, and the extensive 2-disc "Gold" (with 34 songs) released in 2005. This "Coolwalkingsmoothtalking..." is very close in track selection to "Definitive", but the songs on this mix are not in order of year released... which in my opinion hurts it. THE GOOD: All the staples (though in reality, not many) of Townshend's solo career are here - "Rough Boys", "Give Blood", "Face The Face", "Slit Skirts", "Let My Love Open The Door", "Sheraton Gibson", etc. The minor hits are covered well - including "Misunderstood", "Pure And Easy" and "Street In The City". Townshend's acoustic guitar work on "Pure And Easy" and "Sheraton Gibson" really stands out... not to mention the piano at the end of "Friend Of A Friend", and the orchestra in "Street In The City". The remastered sound is top notch - sounds like all the songs were recorded within the last year... not decades ago. The words written in the liner notes from Townshend are great insights to the songs (including things going on during the recording, stories and intentions of each). THE NOT SO GOOD: As mentioned previously, Townshend's solo material is hit and miss... up and down... fast and slow... good and bad. The songs on this compilation are for the most part slow and safe and unlike anything he did with The Who. I loved the rebel, the windmill guitar antics, the shredding solos, the blazing energy. Outside of only a few rocking songs ("Rough Boys" and Face The Face" being the best upbeat tunes of the lot) you won't find many power chords here. In fact, many of the songs here are closer to Fleetwood Mac's catalog of music, than The Who's. The lyrics on some of Townshend's solo material are downright weird... "Give Blood" (I can see this working if he was writing this for the Red Cross), "A Friend Is A Friend", and "The Sea Refuses No River" to name a few. History has shown it's extremely hard for an musician to go out on his own and sustain a career as a solo artist after so many years belonging to a most famous and powerful rock band. The key word here is 'sustain'. There are a few exceptions (i.e. - Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Phil Collins, Ozzy, and Sting to name a few), but for every solo artist that's made it, you could name twice as many that simply couldn't hold onto the success they had earlier or outside of their main bands (i.e. - Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Paul Rodgers, Slash, Ian Anderson, Jerry Garcia, David Gilmour, Ian Gillan, Keith Richards, Jerry Cantrell, etc). I must put Pete Townshend in the latter of the two groups... he's had a taste of success over the decades as a solo artist, but the hits are/were simply too few and far between. His solo material simply is not on par with anything ever written and performed by The Who... Townshend and Roger Daltry had a chemistry together that has since been unmatched. OVERALL: Some very good songs here all presented in their remastered glory. Great for those interested in the better songs and not wanting to invest in the individual releases. There is one studio album that stands above the rest... "Empty Glass" - look for the remastered edition with bonus tracks. This "Coolwalkingsmoothtalking..." is a nice introduction... dandy to have a taste of Townshend's solo material all in one place even if it is hit and miss (4 stars).

Simply Wonderful.......2004-12-25

This is a simply wonderful selection of songs, and I am glad they included the mellow E. Cola mix of "Let My Love Open the Door." It is deliberately reminescent of "Baba O'Reilly." much the way that George Harrison's "Isn't it a Pity" is reminescent of "Hey Jude." Fans of The Who, however, should be warned that solo Pete sounds more like Peter Gabriel, George Harrison, or Eric Clapton, than The Who.

Great Collection of Pete Townshend's Solo Career .......2004-09-17

I can't say I have been the biggest Who or Peter Townshend fan, but lately more and more I find myself really getting into his music. One thing that really brings a great appeal to his music are two things: 1) The Concept/Theme Album - nobody does this better than Townshend; 2) Townshend has never felt he has had to follow the "formula" in the music business. As for the Concept/Theme albums, I think Pete's work really proves he is more han a songwriter and a performer, but a true musician. A Pete Townshend album can prove to be a viable piece of entertainment like any movie or program. As for not following the "formula", Pete isn't afraid to try new things and new directions. This is something that more people in the music industry need to do. This particular CD "The Best of Pete Townshend: coolwalkingsmoothtalkingstraightsmokingfirestoking" isn't going to provide a theme. To get a theme, you are going to need to explore Pete's individual works. However, you are going to get a good taste for how Pete Townshend has shown he can do things his own way. As you listen to his songs, you will really see how each of Pete's songs is basically a soundtrack for their corresponding album.

The collection includes 13 songs from previous Pete Townshend albums. There is also an unreleased song called "Uneasy Street" as well as new remixed version As for the previous works, "The Best of Pete Townshend" does a nice job at spreading the wealth among Pete's solo albums. "Empty Glass" leads the way with three songs ("Rough Boys", "Let My Love Open the Door" -original version, and "A Little is Enough"). "Rough Mix" has two songs ("Misunderstood", "Street In the City"), "White City - A Novel" has two songs ("Give Blood", "Face the Face"). "The Iron Man" has one song ("A Friend is a Friend"). "Who Came First" has two songs ("Sheraton Gibson", "Pure and Easy"), "All The Best Cowboys" have two songs ("Slit Skirts", "The Sea Refuses No River"). "Psychoderelict" has one song ("English Boy"). I was disappointed that "White City" and "Psychoderelict" were not better represented on this collection. I was also disappointed that some of the work done from Townshend's "Scoop" album series were not included on this collection either.

This collection does not chronicle Pete's work in chronological order. From looking at how the songs are arranged on the album, there doesn't appear to be any theme or logic to how they were ordered on the collection. The only logic is that the unreleased tracks are saved for the end. Although it doesn't seem like a big deal to satisfy my preference for chronlogical ordering, I would expect Pete to try to assemble some theme or logic to this collection.

The selections on this collection speak for themselves. My all time favorite solo Pete Townshend track is "Face the Face". This is as good of a song as any. If I can say something good about the ordering is that "A Little Is Not Enough" precedes "Face the Face". "A Little is Not Enough" is a terrific song . Although it is from a different album and has a vastly different feel than "Face the Face", the ending of "A Little is Not Enough" has perfect segue into "Face the Face". "Face the Face" is the full unedited version. I look at this song having one of the greatest introductions of any song ever. It starts out with some soft bass and piano play, then you hear a horse galloping slowly down a city street. Then a drum beat follows picking up the tempo. Following those parts, the pace switches again and the drum beat gets louder. You hear the "Face the Face" backing vocals, then Pete then launches into his vocals "You must have heard the cautionary tales..." The rest of the song is just a terrific ensemble with horns and guitar with give this song the theatrical, beyond-music feel that so much of Pete's work has.

I'll give mixed reviews to the new material. "Uneasy Street" is a very well written and crafted song by Pete. This was a song that was supposed to be on the "Psychoderelict" album, but never made it on there. I can see how this song could have fit into the story of Ray High (the character in "Psychoderelict"). It isn't a bad song and does have a storytelling element to it. In the liner notes, Townshend explains why he left this song off of "Psychoderelict". The worst song in this collection is the remixed version of "Let My Love Open the Door". The collection also includes the original version and that is the only one I listen to. The remix of the song brings a softer, calmer element to the song. However, I thought what made "Let My Love Open the Door" such a great song was a combination of a great beat, tempo, and instrumentation. The remix of this song takes a lot of the life out of the song.

There are no lyrics included in the liner notes. I would have liked to see lyrics included because Townshend is such a great songwriter. I would have especially liked to get lyrics for "Uneasy Street" - the new song. However as mentioned above, Pete doesn't follow a "formula" - and this collection is no different. What you do get is a writeup in which Pete Townshend describes in conversation (to someone named John Pidgeon) each of the tracks on this album. I find this extremely valuable and you will get some terrific insights into Pete's music.

All in all, this is a very good collection. This does a great job at providing Pete's work. For the new Townshend fan - start here and then move to his concept albums. The seasoned Who and Townshend fan may find this overkill.

A must have.......2003-11-23

It is the cheapiest new CD I ever bought (5.99 $cad). Nobody can't afford not to have it.

I don't know, I always been fascinated by the guy, I like his dynamism, he seems to have so much fun in doing what he does in his work with The who and in his solo carreer.

His best song are on there "Face the face", "Give blood", "Let my love open the door", "Rough boys" and the rest is not to be neglected.

Music From the Adventures of Pete & Pete
Average customer rating:

Great driving music

polaris cd

Songs to get stuck in your head for days...

kicking myself

Excellent!

Music From the Adventures of Pete & Pete
Polaris
Manufacturer: Mezzotint Label
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Adventures of Pete & Pete - Season 2

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In Pursuit of Your Happiness

ASIN: B00000IJ0P
Release Date: 1999-04-06

Tracks:

Hey Sandy
She Is Staggering
Waiting For October
Saturnine
Everywhere
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Summerbaby
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Customer Reviews:

Great driving music.......2007-07-22

Polaris are Just Miracle Legion, yes. But this Polaris album is so beautiful and simple that it goes back to The Backyard release by Miracle Legion.

Even if you don't like the music, most people will agree that Mark's voice and guitar tones are stellar.

I think this is a real fun, eccentric record.

polaris cd.......2007-05-29

This cd brings back memories of Pete and Pete, but it's also just fun to listen to. I would definitely suggest it to a friend.

Songs to get stuck in your head for days..........2006-03-02

Any true fan of The Adventures of Pete and Pete knows how much the music of Polaris contributed to the excellence of the show. "She is Staggering" is indescribably beautiful and perfect, one of my favorite songs of all time. Everyone who loves the show needs to have this CD, but even people who have never heard of Pete and Pete would enjoy it as well. It's simply very good music.

kicking myself.......2006-02-01

ive looked at buying this cd for years...and recently i was givin season one of pete and pete on dvd and this prompted me to say aw heck lets get the cd...and ive been kicking myself now for not doin it years ago...the cd is so solid...not only does it tie into the series in such a key manor but the songs are some of the best ive heard in a few years...and with all the crap thats comin out in music these days it really nice to hear an album that is this good...even tho polaris only existed for pete and pete...this cd sits in my all time top 5 and it will damn hard to get it outta there...

Excellent!.......2006-01-24

Whether you're a fan of the Adventures of Pete & Pete, or a fan of good music in general, this is a great choice to help complete your cd collection!

Average customer rating:

A Great Album
The Complete Pete louder than last time but not necessarily better than previous versions
All The Best Rock Stars Have Psychological Scars

All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Pete Townshend
Manufacturer: Hip-O Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Empty Glass
White City
Who Came First
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Iron Man

ASIN: B000GFRIWW
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Tracks:

Stop Hurting People
The Sea Refuses No River
Prelude
Face Dances Part Two
Exquisitely Bored
Communication
Stardom In Action
Uniforms (Corp D'esprit)
North Country Girl
Somebody Saved Me
Slit Skirts

Customer Reviews:

A Great Album.......2007-03-10

This is the second solo album by Pete Townshend of The WHO. It features great songs like The Sea Refuses No River, Face Dances Pt. 2, Stardom In Acton, and Slit Skirts. It also has three bonus tracks, Vivienne, Man Watching, and Dance It Away. If you are a Townshend/WHO fan, BUY IT!

The Complete Pete louder than last time but not necessarily better than previous versions.......2007-01-14

First up audiophiles beware this album is louder than previous editions making the sound of the album a bit different. Also remastering engineer Jon Astley has remastered compressing it more than previous editions.

Should yo upgrade? Well the bonus tracks certainly make this worthwhile although it is missing stuff I would have liked to see included. The hits from the album included "Face Dances" (which had an amusing MTV video)and Pete's observations about growing older in the marvelous "Slit Skirts" (another MTV video which had an extended harmonica solo which curiously is missing as a bonus track here). We now have them supplemented by the rocking "Vivienne" which was a contender for the album. "Man Watching" sounds like a glorified demo but is compelling. "Dance It Away" has a nice rocking groove.

Unlike the remaster of "Who Came First" there aren't any notes discussing the production, inspiration or reception of the album when it was released. We do get the original lyrics for all 12 of the original album tracks (and credits) but none for the bonus tracks. Compared to "Face Dances" Townshend's "ATBCHCE" is the better release with sharper songs overall and sterling production from Chris Thomas.

Overall the sound is good but it could have been great if this had received a "flat" (i.e., no compression)transfer but sounds good enough to listen to in your car stereo.

All The Best Rock Stars Have Psychological Scars.......2007-01-06

Just beneath the surface of a deeply troubled rock musician churns the uneasy mind of a tortured soul. Send them off into a rock and roll laboratory, listen for the small explosions and out they emerge with their edgy experiments and a fully exposed psychosis in tow. Put the headphones on and watch how Pete Townshend not only flies over the cuckoo's nest, but transcends its farthest boundaries on the wings of a fallen angel.

"Stop Hurting People" blows all Who-like conventions out the window with its spoken poem verses and sweetly sung choruses, taking aim at anything that moves and embracing it in a bear-like hug. "The Sea Refuses No River" drains its emotions through the sewer's of a junkies soul, looking for redemption in the currents that might one day wash us all clean. "Face Dances pt. 2" is an amusing aside of twisted rock and roll, dressed up like a single in silly clothes, and somehow it all works beautifully. "Exquisitely Bored" is a blues based rocker with Jamaican dreadlocks, smoking guitar licks like reefers in the rafters of an abandoned concert hall that has been temporarily turned into a shelter for the mentally homeless, while "Communication" stutters it's way through a new generation of hopeless romantics locked away in their Tommy-like isolation booths with one glove, a jar full of Vaseline, and a monkey named Bubbles. "Stardom in Action" looks at life through the other side of the fish-eyed lens, splattered with the mud of fame and fortune. "Uniforms" is dressed to the nines and fives, the slackers, the straights, stoners, and loners and all points in between, regimented to a strict beat of uniform notes. Click your boots to that beat and dance on the edge of conformity. "North Country Girl" is romantic posing and posturing like a peacock in a jeans commercial, while "Somebody Saved Me" is as sentimentally sweet as an unlit gas oven. "Slit Skirts" is a pre-viagra mood of impotence as seen through the looking glass of yesterday's youthful exuberance. Yeah, that's a hit single.

The bonus tracks now available on this remastered edition from 2006 are Vivienne, Man Watching, and Dance it Away. They're all good Townshend tunes, and whether or not they sound quite as left field as the rest of the record doesn't really distract from the fact that I would rather have them here than not have them at all. "All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes" is a treasure chest of fortune cookies just waiting to be read and analyzed. After every song I sip my hot green tea and think to myself, "Sore wa sugoi na!"

The Best of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth: Good Life

Average customer rating:

Pretty good hits collection - possibly 4.5 stars
Pete Rock and C L Smooth 'Take You There' With Hits Collections
The best rap duo of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5 stars but get the albums instead
Yes....Classic Material But......

The Best of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth: Good Life
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Very Best of Brand Nubian
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ASIN: B00009KU85
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Tracks:

Lots Of Lovin'
Straighten It Out
Anger In The Nation
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
Skinz
Take You There
The Creator
Mecca And The Soul Brother
It's Not A Game
I Got A Love
All The Places
Searching
Good Life
One In A Million
Death Becomes You
Take Your Time-Pete Rock

Album Description

75-plus minutes of brilliantly remastered ''sheets of sound''. Includes cuts from the soundtracks Poetic Justice and Menace II Society, and 'Take Your Time' from Pete Rock's solo debut, Soul Survivor. Elektra/Rhino. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good hits collection - possibly 4.5 stars.......2006-12-31

Like all Best of albums there's gonna be some songs some people don't like and some good one's that were omitted ("The Main Ingredient" is this case). With 16 songs you get some of their better works from, "All Souled Out", "Mecca & The Soul Brother", and "The Main Ingredient" with trax from the "Menace II Society" & "Poetic Justice" soundtracks and one form Pete Rock's 1998 "Soul Survivor" album. Pete Rock does all the producing and has 2 solo's (the only 2 songs he raps on). There is no doubt he can produce and has his signature sound is probably one of the best producers ever. CL Smooth raps on 14 of the songs and his smooth voice fits great over Pete's horn filled and sampled beats. Of the 16 songs, 1 is a classic, 4 are ok, and the other 11 are good and mostly real good songs. A must have from one of the best rap duo's in history.

#1 - 8.5
#2 - 7.5
#3 - 8
#4 - 10 (CLASSIC -- great beat)
#5 - 7.5 (f/ Grand Puba (who has a very nice and funny verse) -- dirty song)
#6 - 8
#7 - 6 (Pete Rock solO)
#8 - 8
#9 - 9 (nice beat)
#10 - 8
#11 - 8.5 (good beat)
#12 - 9 (tight beat)
#13 - 9 (another nice beat)
#14 - 7
#15 - 8 (f/ YGz)
#16 - 9 (Pete Rock f/ Loose Ends -- great beat)

CL SMOOTH -- Corey Penn -- b. 10/8/69
PETE ROCK -- Peter Phillips -- b. 6/21/70

check all my reviews

Pete Rock and C L Smooth 'Take You There' With Hits Collections.......2006-03-09

Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth never had a lot of commercial success, but one thing can be said about them: they stayed true to the game. Putting out quality material throughout the 90s, the duo epitomized the sound of East Coast music for many hip-hop heads. Putting out classics like "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)," "I Got A Love," "Lots Of Lovin'" "Take You There," "Mecca And The Soul Brother," "One In A Million," and "Straighten It Out," The Best of Pete Rock and C. L. Smooth delivers both the commercially-released hits and the album track gems that most of their fans have come to love. Many die hard fans already have everything on this disc. But for those youngsters who are just learning about the group, The Best of Pete Rock and C. L. Smooth gives you a good overview of their best selections.

The best rap duo of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-10-29

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth are the best rap duo ever, especially their first 3 albums (All Souled Out, Mecca And The Soul Brother & The Main Indregident/Which I owned all 3) For this album, you should've add these tracks to this album(The Basement, Escape, The Main Indriegent, In The Flesh & The Creator/my personal favorites)! You really need to buy those three albums, seriously! It's really worth it! Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth need to make more albums & get back into the rap game! We need more music from you both!

5 stars but get the albums instead.......2005-08-25

This kind of sounds like a little bit of industry rule #4,080 to me (Rhino Records?) but this disc contains a lot of their classic material. But, coming from a guy who claims that PR+CLS might be the best hip hop duo ever, I always had a problem with a "Best Of" album because their three albums, "All Souled Out", "Mecca and the Soul Brother", and "The Main Ingredient" were kind of best of compilations in themselves. As demonstrated on their "Rare Tracks" set, Pete and CL were so particular about what went onto their albums and fit with the flow that some good cuts were even cut off their albums. The only reason a real Pete Rock & CL Smooth fan would get this is for completeness, because it has a few tracks from the "Poetic Justice" and "Menace II Society" soundtracks and a song from Pete's original "Soul Survivor" album. I also kind of find the tracklisting questionable. Almost all the songs from "All Souled Out" (a six song EP) are included. It doesn't really span their careers properly, I don't think. They include songs like "Searching", a fine song by all means but not their best, and omit "The Main Ingredient" and "If It Ain't Rough It Ain't Right". Bottomline, buy the albums before this, because every song on the three albums combined is amazing, I say that "Mecca and the Soul Brother" and "The Main Ingredient" are the best hip hop LPs ever. This is still 5 stars, because hey, it's Pete Rock and CL Smooth, but buy the albums instead.

CL Smooth "American Me" EP coming late 2005/early 2006, Shaman Work Records.

Yes....Classic Material But.............2005-02-17

"Good Life" features some great tracks, including a couple of rare soundtrack joints, but its simply not sufficient for true fans, since it is merely culled material from their two albums and EP. Purchase the albums instead and indulge...rather than gratify the record label by buying this instead.

For the uninitiated however, a definite and accurate estimation of the greatness of Pete Rock and CL Smooth.

Average customer rating:

some buzzcocks, some very wave Pete, and a modern remix

Best of Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley
Manufacturer: Japanese Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Retro: Active, Vol. 4
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21 Singles

ASIN: B00005QCFQ
Release Date: 2001-11-07

Tracks:

Telephone Operator
(Millions of People) No One Like You
Homosapien
Many a Time
XL-1
Maxine
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Album Description

Japanese exclusive compilation for the leader of the seminal punk band the Buzzcocks. 16 tracks including 'Telephone Operator', 'Homosapien', 'I Don't Know What It Is' & 'Maxine'. 2001.

Customer Reviews:

some buzzcocks, some very wave Pete, and a modern remix.......2005-08-31

a couple of billboard dance hits (telephone operator, homosapien, I don't know what it is) are accompanied by a lot electronic/new wave/punk sounds that capture the sound of the early 80s (Shelley's later stuff isn't included). You get 3 original tracks from Pete's days with the Buzzcocks, a remix/medley of Telephone Operator/Many a time, clocking in at 13 minutes and 11 seconds, and a great remix of Telephone Operator that runs 6 minutes and 14 seconds. Definitely a good sampling of Shelley's music to add to a thorough 80s collection.

Average customer rating:

Killer Pete
Favorite Pete album by far!
Poetry & Production Meet
Crazy
Townshend ditches fashion, creates timeless gem

All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Pete Townshend
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000DP1S
Release Date: 2000-04-11

Tracks:

Stop Hurting People
The Sea Refuses No River
Prelude
Face Dances Part Two
Exquisitely Bored
Communication
Stardom In Acton
Uniforms (Crop D'esprit)
North Country Girl
Somebody Saved Me
Slit Skirts

Customer Reviews:

Killer Pete.......2006-11-15

A fantastic album. Townshend poetry is less angry and even more contemplative here than most Who efforts. For anyone interested in Pete Townshend solo, you need to start here and move on to Empty Glass and White City. If only he would stop trying to create another mega-concept and just write songs like the ones on these CDs, we would all be better off.

Favorite Pete album by far!.......2006-07-07

I recieved this album from Christmas from the hint of my friend. She said that it was her favorite album by Pete. I listended to it and I loved it from that moment.

I love it because it shows Pete's true creative genius. I believe it shows his voice in full power, especially on 'The Sea Refuses No River'.

I do believe that his album far supresses 'Empty Glass'. I say if you want to get into Pete, start with this album.

Poetry & Production Meet.......2006-02-08

First, the basics: This is an excellent CD. The writing is primarily excellent, occasionally inspired, and w/ just a few 'wince' moments that let you see the Man Behind the Curtain. Then there's the music w/ all of Mr. Townshend's trademarks: melodies with intelligent hooks that propel the song, not make the song subservient to the hook; world-class musicianship, powerful choruses, AND that thing fans have come to expect (poor Pete) -- Mr. Townshend's ability to consistently provide us with a hand-full of turns-of-phrase that so perfectly match their musical settings they become a permanent part of us. And then there's the production values. Superb! Awesome! Richly Satisfying!
Secondly, reading the other reviews of All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, I'm struck by the criticisms of "overproduction," "pretentiousness," etc. Those reviewers probably weren't there in the 70's when the Rock-Zeitgeist became ripe w/ the desire to, 'have it all:' to have authentic rock 'n roll, WITH grown-up lyrics/subject matter AND WITH top-quality production values. A little poetry added to the mix would be nice, too. When All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes hit the racks, we had a whole record that fullfilled that Zeitgeist. But even more to the point, if you want more from your Rock than escapism, if you've ever had that sublime experience of enjoying good music WHILE feeling you were taking part in the greater-conversation going on in our culture -- YOU NEED THIS RECORDING.

Crazy.......2006-01-23

Pete went off the deep end with this album; was he still a heroin addict at this point in his life? I wouldn't be surprised if he still was. He embraces synths here more strictly than he ever had, or ever would again. It almost seems that everything here is synthesized. And why does Pete often just talk on songs? Why doesn't he sing? And why does everything seem so overwrought and over emotional and well... over everything? The lyrics are poetry, and the musical structures are the most ambitious of his career since Quadrophenia. He goes overboard with everything constantly. It's Pete's mad album, and it's an absolute joy to listen to. Where as Empty Glass was just a great album because of the songs, this album is an experience; the songs often have little in the way of melodies. But Pete harnasses his synths and his imagination in a way he never does again. He goes mad, and creates one of the most ambitious, over the top, intersting, boring, crazy, fun albums of all time, and at least one all time classic "slit skirts" which is beautiful. Buy it and enjoy (the review highly influenced by the albums effect on sanity.)

Townshend ditches fashion, creates timeless gem.......2005-08-01

After releasing his very contemporary, timely sounding, and also quite brilliant Empty Glass album (hell, even the NME didn't hate that one) during a period of debauchery that nearly killed him, Townshed cleaned up, went completely outside the realm of fashion, and poured out this cathartic album, which has some of his strongest, most emotional music and most perceptive lyrics ever (e.g., his shot at skinhead fashion: "On my parka is some band I don't rally understand", from "Uniforms"). Hell, this album has some of the most emotional and perceptive music anybody has created on one album.

The highlights for me are the majestic "The Sea Refuses No River," and the harrowing, yet strangely witty "Somebody Saved Me." But almost every song here is noteworthy, and some still sound quite distinctive. One could say it's overblown and overdone, but I like it that way. Anything less would have been cheating us of his best.

If you like intelligent, emotional music, give this one a spin: you might just be blown away.

Average customer rating:

All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Pete Townshend
Manufacturer: Teichiku Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Empty Glass
Rough Mix
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Who Came First
Live at Massey Hall (CD/DVD)

ASIN: B000DN6D2I
Release Date: 2006-03-06

Tracks:

Stop Hurting People
Sea Refuses No River
Prelude
Face Dances, Pt. 2
Exquisitely Bored
Communication
Stardom in Acton
Uniforms (Corp d'Esprit)
North Country Girl
Somebody Saved Me
Slit Skirts

Album Description

This Japanese pressing is part of a Pete Townsend miniature LP sleeve CD release series that has been fully remastered. Imperial. 2006.

Album Details

Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork. Includes Two Bonus Live Tracks: "The Sea Refuses No River" and "Slit Skirts".

Average customer rating:

All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Pete Townshend
Manufacturer: Wea International
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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Singer-Songwriters | Rock | Styles | Music

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White City: A Novel
Empty Glass
Scoop
Psychoderelict
The Iron Man: A Musical

ASIN: B000008LO6
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Stop Hurting People
Sea Refuses No River
Prelude
Face Dances, Pt. 2
Exquisitely Bored
Communication
Stardom in Acton
Uniforms (Corp d'Esprit)
North Country Girl
Somebody Saved Me
Slit Skirts

Album Description

Unavailable in the U.S., his top 30 1982 album. Features 11tracks, including the classics 'Slit Skirts', 'Face Dances'and 'Stardom In Action'. An Atco release. The full title is'All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes'.

Average customer rating:

Best of the rest of Best.......................
A Bit of Bathos
Relive the 60's
Best is the Best!
Enjoyable CD, good selections, but not enough Pete!

Live at the Adelphi: Liverpool 1988
The Pete Best Band
Manufacturer: Cherry Red UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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Beyond the Beatles 1964-1966
The Pete Best Combo

ASIN: B0000072VE
Release Date: 1996-10-07

Tracks:

Slow Down
Be My Baby
When You Walk In The Room
I Hear You Knocking
Some Other Guy
Mr. Moonlight
When A Man Loves A Woman
Keep On Running
Rock And Roll Music
Rockin' Robin/Rip It Up
Lucille
Great Balls Of Fire
Interview With Pete Best

Customer Reviews:

Best of the rest of Best..............................2007-05-22

If I were going to buy a Pete Best CD, this is the one I'd get....way over the others. It'll never make the charts...........but when they are gone...they're gone. Some of us old farts will take the cd and sing along in the car, so if you see our mouths moving and our heads shaking....some of the songs here are worth getting through traffic with.

A Bit of Bathos.......2005-09-28

This is a curious recording in which Pete Best plays and sings cover songs that the Beatles did in their early days, when Best was still playing with them. The performances aren't terribly good- this is the stuff that a million 50s-60s cover bands do much better- and the fact that there are two drummers suggests that Best can't quite cut it anymore on the skins. I suppose it's an album for the die-hard "Best was better than Ringo!" fans still out there.

Relive the 60's.......2001-04-25

This is a "fun" album comprised of old 60's rock. The highlights are "Be My Baby" and "When you walk in the room" Nothing earth shattering or groundbreaking-but a good live album by a band that sounds like they're enjoying themselves. The interview with Pete Best is okay-but the interviewer-for whatever reason-avoids more meaningful questions. Pete Best is a help to me whenever things go wrong-ie missed promotions, lost opportunites-whatever--I think of Pete and realize it could always be worse!!! I'd recommend this cd to anyone who likes 60's rock&roll-not just Beatles fans. This is a much better cd than John Lennon's "Rock and Roll"

Best is the Best!.......2000-04-13

Pete Best and his brother do a fine job banging out good old fashioned Rock and Roll. This C.D. is like hearing a good bar band with one of the most famous drummers in the world. A must have for any true Beatles fan.

Enjoyable CD, good selections, but not enough Pete!.......2000-01-04

Well done selections from the Cavern era, but if you are looking for Pete he's tough to find. First of all, he doesn't do any vocals, which is not a big deal. More importantly though, if you are looking forward to hearing the state of his chops behind the drums (as I was), that too is made difficult since his younger brother Roag doubles on drums. This dual drumming obviously prevents an assessment of Pete's ability to drive a band on his own. The album is enjoyable, though, and if you're a Pete fan you gotta have it.

Average customer rating:

To make a correction
The WORST of BEST
Historic curiosity
best's absolute best
Outrageously Bad! Best at his worst!

Beyond the Beatles 1964-1966
The Pete Best Combo
Manufacturer: Griffin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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The Pete Best Combo
Live at the Adelphi: Liverpool 1988
Best of the Beatles
Ultimate Collection
Memory Almost Full [Deluxe Limited Edition]

ASIN: B000001LK1
Release Date: 1996-05-28

Tracks:

All Aboard
Why Did You Leave Me Baby?
Shimmy Like My Sister Kate
I Need Your Lovin'
I Can't Do Without You Now
Castin' My Spell
I'm Blue
She's Alright
Keys To My Heart
I'm Checkin' Out Now Baby
I'll Try Anyway
I Don't Know Why I Do
How Do You Get To Know Her Name?
She's Not The Only Girl In Town
If You Can't Get Her
More Than I Need Myself
I'll Have Everything Too
The Way I Feel About You
Don't Play With Me
Rock 'N' Roll Music
I Wanna Be There
Everybody
Pete's Theme
Off The Hook
Last Night
Nobody But You
Wait And See
Some Other Guy

Album Description

After leaving the Beatles in 1962 to be replaced with Ringo Starr, Pete went on to re record over 40 songs in the 60's of which 20 are included here and 4 are bonus tracks.

Customer Reviews:

To make a correction.......2006-10-19

Hello, this is Aaron Goldberg again. I have matured considerably since my first review of this album. I realize that Ringo Starr is an excellent drummer, better than Pete Best, but Best is quite good too. This is a pretty good CD. One drawback is poor sound quality. Some of these songs don't sound like they come from masters, and one, "The Way I Feel About You" sounds like it has a record pop! I would say 3.5 stars is about right.

The WORST of BEST.......2006-03-10

Ever wondered why Pete was fired? Here is the reason. This cd, in a word, sucks.

If I were going to torture a confession out of someone, then this is the method that I'd use, make them listen to this cd.
While it is true that this does not represent Beatle music of the era, it certainly doesn't represent Pete's best efforts either, and I sure wouldn't compare it to anything representing the Mersey Beat.

In all fairness to Pete, but in no way sympathetic, this cd best resembles a 747 breaking apart in mid-air...everything going every which-a-way while hoping it's going to somehow fly despite major parts of the craft heading sharply for the ground.

Sorry folks, if you were looking for some Best representation for your collection, this is not it.

Historic curiosity.......2005-09-28

Listening to this record I'm reminded of a lot of the pop bands of that era- Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Zombies, the Dave Clark Five and so forth. The big difference between those groups and the Pete Best combo is that the Best Combo's music just isn't as memorable. It's nice poppy stuff and all, but that's about it. There simply isn't a song on this album that sticks in your mind.

Over the years there's been a lot of nonsense about why the Beatles fire Best. Reading another review I came across the claim that they hired Ringo to destroy their "competition", the Rory Storm band, which is downright silly, as they had already far suprpassed Storm's band musically and in popularity when they hired Ringo. The most common claim was that Best was just too good, and took attention away from the others. That's about as silly as it sounds- especialy after listening to this disk, and to the Beatles' "archive" recordings. Best was a reasonably solid, but very limited, drummer who had a very few beats and fills in his repetoir. Ringo was a very inventive drummer with exceptional taste who crafted scores of unique beats, and inspired another generation to take up the drums.

Returning to the album under review, it's interesting as a historical curiosity, and certainly something you'd want if you were assembling a collection of all the Merseyside bands of the era. And I'm sure that a lot of people will find something here that most of us don't. But if you're looking for really great 60s pop, or great 60s rock drumming... well, there's always the Beatles.

best's absolute best.......2002-06-10

Let me first say that I am by no means a Beatles completist, revisionist or even fanatic. I dig the Beatles first and foremost as a beat band, and I dig 'em in the same way that I dig other bands of the same time and place: Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, the Big Three, et al. My favorite aspects of the Beatles arise from their beat sensibilities and to that end, I find their earlier material the most intriguing simply because--brace yourselves--it rocks. I'll take "I'm Down" over "brilliant" sap like Sgt. Pepper's any day of the week. And before anyone starts going through the roof we'd all do well to remember that though many have made the argument that Pepper's saved or revolutionized rock 'n' roll, others have just as validly opined that it ruined it. But that's another story.
The reason I bring up "Sgt Pepper's" is to say that, while that "legendary" album has always left me largely cold save for a couple of songs, when I first heard this CD I was simply blown away, particularly by "I Wanna Be There" and "I Don't Know Why I Do (I Just Do)." I wasn't judging the songs or the record against the impossible-to-compete-with yardstick of the Beatles' entire recorded output; in fact I wasn't judging it at all, I was just screamin' "Yeah!"
As far rock 'n' roll goes, this material stands up more than admirably. You don't have to be a Beatles fan to appreciate Best's pop sensibility and the song writing is excellent. The band's good, the songs are good and the drive and inspiration create that all-important intangible quality that all great rock 'n' roll must possess. If you're expecting music that you can compare to the songs that rock critics have been telling us for years are so "important"--the Beatles, Zeppelin, Bob Marley, latter day Stones, etc--it might not stack up, but then again what would? U2?
On the other hand, if you're sick to hell of having that over-indulgent junk rammed down your throat at every turn of the mile--or you're just looking for some damn good rock 'n' roll that you can spin alongside the Ronettes, the Pretty Things, Bobby Fuller and other under-appreciated geniuses that played from the gut--invest in the Best.
Don't be swindled into believing that Pete was a pathetic coat tail rider either: None of the material here bears any resemblence to the Beatles beyond the fact that it's cast in the beat idiom. An honest-to-goodness artifact from an amazing era containing all the musical ingredients that made that era what it was. The Pete Best Combo not only blows Ringo's solo efforts away--no great feat in itself--it runs roughshod over every solo album EVER made by any member of the fab four.

Outrageously Bad! Best at his worst!.......2001-08-02

Personally, I like and admire Peter Best as someone who has gone on with his life in spite of what happened. However, if you want Best at his best, try one of the many CD's around with the Beatles' work with Tony Sheridan or any of the pre-Ringo cuts floating about these days. These songs are JUNK! This combo is TERRIBLE and these tunes are without any redeeming qualities (heck, they're even poorly recorded to a one!) Pete deserved a hell of a lot better than this and fortunately, some of his better work is available.

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