Search - Sixpence None the Richer :: Collage: Portrait of Their Best

Collage A Poor Sampling Of Indie Sixpence

Greg Carpenter | 07/19/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It is much more advisable for new Sixpence listners to buy Sixpence's first two albums, THIS BEAUTIFUL MESS and THE FATHERLESS AND THE WIDOW than this hastily thrown together collection. Missing from this "portrait" are Sixpence classics like "Trust" and "Meaningless," a song the band still plays live at epic length. The artwork is second-rate and goes against the artistic nature of a band. Avoid COLLAGE unless you just can't afford both of Sixpence's early CD's. One positive thing I will mention about COLLAGE is that whoever selected the tracks for the album (and it was not the band) had the forsight to pick the best songs from the TICKETS FOR A PRAYER WHEEL EP It is still unforgivable that the same care was not taken in selecting LP tracks. It sounds as if the compilers of the album tried to find as many "Kiss Me" clones as they could in Sixpence's back catalog."

A bit of background...

Jeff Eaton | Geneva, IL | 01/11/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Quite a few fans have posted negative reviews of this compilation, and they're right. Although a number of Sixpence's stellar tracks made it onto the disc, it's mostly a tired collection of stuff-found-on-old-comps. R.E.X. records, Sixpence's former label, kept the band in hellish limbo for three years after a nasty bankruptcy. Unable to escape their contract, but lacking the funds to produce or market a new CD, Sixpence languished for years between This Beautiful Mess and their self-titled release. Veteran artist Steve Taylor eventually bought their contract from REX's husk, fronted the money to record their self-titled release, and helped produce the CD.Of course, REX still owns the rights to Sixpence's older songs -- and when they jumped into the national spotlight with Kiss Me, REX decided to cash in. A quick compilation of older (Owned-by-REX) songs was thrown together and marketed as 'Collage,' hoping to snag new fans looking for older material. They even misspelled the title of the band's earlier single, Angeltread, on the track listing. Sigh.If you like Sixpence, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of This Beautiful Mess. Collage is nothing more than a sad attempt to cash in."

A great introduction to the "old stuff"...

Greg Carpenter | 12/14/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first discovered Sixpence at a music festival in KY where I promptly picked up thier then "new" album, "This Beautiful Mess." I have been hooked ever since. "Collage" is a great introduction to all the rich, textured Sixpence music already out there -- the smooth melodies, the poetic lyrics of Matt Slocum, and of course Leigh Nash's sweet-as-ice-cream voice. My only complaint would be the absence of a few favorites such as "Disconnect," "Trust," and "Maybe Tommorow.""