Search - Blow Monkeys :: Atomic Lullabies: Very Best of

This is the one.

cam h. | USA | 07/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is indeed a very fine collection of The Blow Monkeys' work, and I expected nothing less--not just because the band consistently produced top of the line records, but because this collection was assembled by Dr. Robert (the singer, guitarist, songwriter, and, if you spent your pre-adolescence with the band like I did, the *face*). The first-hand selection, as well as the great price for two cds that include rarities and unreleased stuff, should cement this record as infinitely more desirable than the mess of "greatest hits" compilations that abound for The Blow Monkeys. I wish I could advise buying all their albums, but so many are out of print or only available on import. (Still, look for them! Every one is fantastic!) Buy this, it's worth it. And I own every last album of theirs. The Blow Monkeys were politically and musically smarter than anyone really gave them credit for. Too bad a proper appreciation for them can't possibly be gathered from just one set. Oh well. You can still listen closely, brush up on modern British politics, and get the gag. You might also be interested in knowing Dr. Robert has a slew of solo stuff. Flatlands is my favourite; it is nothing short of brilliant. But all of it is good and on his own he's produced some of my all-time favourite songs. I think my blood now pulses to the rhythm of "Circular Quay".Another good thing about this set is that it adequately represents the diversity of styles The Blow Monkeys incorporated into their music (ie, inclusions like I Backed a Winner In You, My Twisty Jewel, La Passionara, and their cover of It's Not Unusual, as well as the stuff we normally associate with The Blow Monkeys). None of the other "best of" discs do that as well as it's done here.Downsides, which you can only have because this band is too good to be confined to 2 discs: this set doesn't include the original version of Celebrate (The Day After You), which I thought vastly superior to the remix version: the mix loses all of the original's langourous, cocky charm and winds up just too damn eager. Both versions of La Passionara deserved to be included, and some of my personal faves are conspicuously absent: Aeroplane City Lovesong, Sweet Talking Rapist at Home, It Pays To Belong...See? This is why you really need to make an effort to find every last album. Or have me put the box set together. In the meantime, enjoy!"

Indulgent as chocolate.

Sheryl Weidner | Redmond, WA United States | 02/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Music in the 80's was all about having a good time, attracting the most attention at the party, and coming across smart - but not too smart, lest one find oneself the nerd of the room. Where 80s New Wave bands like the Cure and the Smiths leaned toward black turtlenecks and lipstick (good though those things were indeed), Dr. Robert and his Blow Monkeys rolled out the purple velvet and spit-polished their shiny horn section. While not every day is a Blow Monkeys day in my house, they're as indulgent as a box of chocolates, and anyone you can eat chocolate with, you can invite to dance in your living room to this most exceptional collection of classic old and experimental new. Fans of the Fine Young Cannibals and the Communards will be pleasantly surprised if they only remember the ultra-smooth "Digging Your Scene" from radio play."