Search - Johnny Hates Jazz :: Best of

More than a punchline

Gerald J. Mahoney | Los Angeles, CA United States | 10/12/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Most people think of Johnny Hates Jazz as a one-hit wonder, so the idea of them releasing a "Best of" set sounds like a joke. But even if the band never again matched the success of "Shattered Dreams", that doesn't mean they didn't record other great songs. "Me and My Foolish Heart", "I Don't Want to Be a Hero", "Heart of Gold" and "Turn Back the Clock" are all terrifically fun and hummable.The problem with this particular CD is that it's a compilation of songs from two incarnations of Johnny Hates Jazz. The first JHJ, featuring lead vocalist Clark Datchler, put out the album TURN BACK THE CLOCK, a great 80s pop album with no bad songs, including all the tracks mentioned above. But Datchler quit the group after this initial success and was replaced by Phil Thornalley, a fine producer and songwriter (he was the mastermind behind Natalie Imbruglia's hit "Torn"), but a rather flat and uninspired vocalist. The Thornalley-headed incarnation of JHJ put out the album TALL STORIES, which never got released in the U.S., and probably for good reason. With the exception of the catchy "Last to Know", Thornalley's songs just don't match up to the music on TURN BACK THE CLOCK.The rest of THE VERY BEST OF JOHNNY HATES JAZZ consists of some completely pointless and uninteresting b-sides, which are mostly instrumental, and a couple of equally unnecessary remixes. There's enough great music on this album to recommend it, but for a more consistent and rewarding album, I recommend you buy TURN BACK THE CLOCK instead. You can replace your vocalist and keep the same band name, but that doesn't mean it's the same group."