Leading the New Wave
Mr. Richard D. Coreno | Berea, Ohio USA | 03/31/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Psychedlic Furs captured the potential of a maturing punk rock sound on their initial two outings - The Psychedelic Furs (1980), Talk Talk Talk (1981) - which mostly baffled those compiling playlists for AOR radio stations, but built a loyal following of fans who were riding the new wave that briefly swept the record industry.
The 5-CD set includes all but one studio release from the 1980s - the aforementioned pair, plus Forever Now (1982), Mirror Moves (1984) and Midnight to Midnight (1987) - with the greatest hits collection, All of This and Nothing (1988), and Book of Days (1989) not included.
Richard Butler explodes onto the stage on the debut album, as he comes very close to delivery the powerhouse vocal-style of John Lydon, but within a framework of guitars and an occasional sax. The band takes a huge stride with Talk Talk Talk, as Butler brings a maturation to his style in numbers like Pretty in Pink, Dumb Waiters and Like a Train. The emerging revolution of sound in the studio is heard on the next three albums, with the moody ballad, Love My Way, from Forever Now, the best example of smoothing over the rough edges through a cleaner mix.
A leader in what became known as the post-punk era, Butler showed - at least early on - how the spirit of punk rock did not have to fade from the scene when its supposed revolution turned out to be a mirage."
A great collection from the furs!
Michael F. Luck | Northern California, USA | 09/17/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"First off, the only reason this 5 CD collection doesn't get 5 stars, is it's missing two studio albums.
Yes, I know it's an era collection, with extended remastered originals.
But The Psychedelic Furs deserve a proper box set, and so do their fans!
That said, if you love 80's music, and somehow never went deeper
than "Pretty In Pink", you should be ordering this on Amazon while
you read this. It's an eco friendly, compact packaging of the original
recordings, so it will be the best 5 albums smaller than a toddler book
you own! Now, enjoy your purchase when it arrives, and buy everything else
from the boys once your hooked!"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1