THIS Edition Is the One to Own
Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 03/01/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I heeded the warning. The English music press said that the four CD box set of Paul Weller At the BBC was a very limited edition and would shortly be gone, and so I bought one here at a relatively steep price. But, at least I got it. I don't know why, given Weller's popularity (at least outside of North America) that he would issue something that would become unavailable after a few short months, but he did. And in doing so, a lot of people are missing a lot of great music.
I wasn't so keen on At the BBC the first time I listened. I thought it was OK, but nothing special and was still smarting from the hundred and twenty dollars I had to pay to get it. Now, I am glad I did because this edition of the box set can only be called Nirvana for Weller fans.
The listener gets 74 songs in all, and each disc is distinctively different in tone, the songs having been recorded over the years in a variety of settings. Here are the highlights, disc by disc.
1) This disc features quite a few raw acoustic pieces, but there are some driving rockers as well. My favorites are the takes on Wild Wood, Out of the Sinking, Whirlpool's End, The Changingman, You Do Something To Me, the driving, pounding Brushed, the rollicking Peacock Suit, and a Dylanesque The Poacher.
2) This disc is seemingly a continuation of the first, but with more straight-ahead rock. I like Science, Out Of the Sinking, acoustic takes on Paper Smile and Come On/Let's Go, the hard-rocking Cold Moments, and the Elvis Costello-esque Pretty Flamingo. About the only song that doesn't work for me is his cover of Early Morning Rain which does not convey the sad, forlorn feeling expressed in Gordon Lightfoot's original.
3)For the first twelve songs on this disc, Weller sounds fresh from Motown. If you like soul, this is your disc because it is overflowing with it. My favorites are A Man of Great Promise, Kosmos, a cover of Marvin Gaye's What's Goin' On, Above The Clouds, Everything Has A Price to Pay, and Porcelain Gods which winds up with a wicked jam. About the only one I don't care for is the jivey Work To Do.
4)This disc is packed with some great jams and would turn any room into a dance floor. My favorites are almost all of them, Science being the best of all. Other great ones are Shadow of the Sun, I Walk on Gilded Splinters, Out of the Sinking, Sunflower, Broken Stones, Peacock Suit, Heavy Soul, Wild Wood, and once again, The Changingman.
The CD set comes housed in a classy book-style cover and has a booklet packed with photos and commentary attached inside. If you are a Paul Weller fan, THIS edition is the one to own. Beware the rinky-dink other editions and make sure that what you order is what you get. I saw one listing that showed four discs but the product description said two. So watch out! If this edition of At the BBC becomes available again, consider the hundred-plus dollars I paid cheap. I am stoked that I was able to obtain one and you will be stoked as well when you do."
Weller Rules!
Steel Collins | Miami | 04/27/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Paul Weller is one of the few artists whose live work is even better than his studio work, but why choose? This package gives you both -- one CD full of studio recordings -- a sort of Weller Unplugged as most songs feature just the man and his guitar. The second CD is Weller Live, all live songs. I can't stop listening to it! If you are smart enough to love Weller, this two-disc package is a must buy!"
