Search - Comsat Angels :: From Beyond 1987-1995: The Best of 2

Some great songs but ..... not a typical "best of"

Pim Dubbeldam | Sunnyvale, CA United States | 07/25/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"From Beyond 2 is not a typical "best-of" album but a compilation of atmospheric soundscapes covering the bands last years of existance. This seems to be alligned with the bands own history which could be characterized as a never fullfilled promise, at least from a commercial perspective. Given the limited availability of earlier releases, I was pretty eager to get a hold of this album in search of previously unavailable and unreleased Comsat Jewels. My favorite -previously non released- songs of the album are "I hear a new World", "Valley of the Nile", "Always near" and "Goddess" for different reasons. "Valley of the Nile" is a much more subtle acoustic version of the bombastic original on "The Glamour". It brings out a wonderfull and unusual melodic sequence of chords so typical for many of the great Comsat songs. "Goddess" and "I hear a new World" are catching songs as they kick and rumble. "Always near" stands out because of it's Comsat unlike piano solo. Many of the other songs were released on realier Comsat albums. So it this a great album? The album ends with 3 experimental post Comsat tracks which don't really fit with the sound of the album as a whole. This is a disappointing end to the album, which prevents is from being great. It's worth seeking out if you are a Comsat fan, if only for "I hear a new world" and "Valley of the Nile". But if you're not a die-hard Comsat fan, the album would not be the best introduction to the band. Hopefully From Beyond 1 will hit the spot."