Search - Terry Hall :: Collection Terry Hall

A CUT ABOVE THE REST

06/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I fought for this CD literally when the seller, who happens to be a good friend of mine, wanted to have it sold to someone other than me on the grounds that I was trying to get it on a later date. BUT SORRY BECAUSE I WON!!! This is definitely a DAMN GOOD COLLECTION which is true to it's title --- COLLECTION. This spans Terry Hall's very colourful and diverse musical career. My personal favorite is MISSING and the cut with Bananarama (the title's too long). Also, it has some very delicious tracks from his Colourfield days.But the cut SORRY from Virgins and Philistines album was sadly overlooked (am also a proud owner of that CD, a rare classic). Anyway, in toto, this is truly a good CD and the diversity in sound is just sooooo amazing. Too bad that after Vegas (Hall's collaboration with ex-Eurythmics Dave Stewart), Mr. Hall isn't very much visible. So much talent for one guy I should say. Love this CD."

Spreading the good stuff around

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 03/08/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Terry Hall has a resume that would make a modest artist blush. He's been a hitmaker with such influential bands as The Specials, Fun Boy Three and Colourfield. Any one of those bands would have been enough to merit a special place in history, but Hall was a driving force in all three. With The Specials, Hall was part of one the most biting commentary pop songs of the 80's with "Ghost Town." While The Specials (along with The English Beat) were probably the finest of the two-tone bands, "Ghost Town" is song that defines the movement and its time.



Of course, just as The Specials were reaching their peak commercial success, Hall left the band for the usual artistic differences. He promptly organized the avant-garde trio Fun Boy Three, who scored with the monotone three-part vocals in "Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)." Hall is also partially responsible for introducing the world to Bannanarama and The Go-Go's. The former added their harmonies to "It Ain't What You Do" and the latter - after hearing the The Go-Go's during a UK tour with two-tone hitmakers Madness, Hall co wrote "Our Lips Are Sealed" with Jane Wiedlin, the ladies sped the song up from "Waiting's" laconic version and made it their first American hit.



As the David Byrne (Talking Heads) produced album "Waiting" yielded more UK singles and appeared ready to break the band in America, Hall again disbanded his current band and formed Colourfield. A sharp turn from the more experimental tone of his prior two bands, "Take" and "Thinking Of You" are the most melodic and unironic songs Hall had ever preformed. If you were looking for signs of his previous life, the remake of The Monkees' hit "She" (from Colourfield's second CD, "Deception") provided that. But the great "Virgins and Philistines" album ranks up there with some of the best of the 80's new wave (think Echo and The Bunnymen or Teardrop Explodes).



Once again, two albums into their career The Colourfield imploded. The following project, Terry, Blair and Anouchka, really wasn't much to write home about, the did have a few interesting songs on "Ultra Modern Nursery Rhymes." It was rich in kitsch, and the cheesy pseudo-lounge music behind lyrics like "hap-happier times, everything's groovy" were too clever for their own good. Those are the weakest three songs here. Hall did eventually rebound; this CD was released before 1995's "Home," a solid return to melodic form.



Still, any CD that contains music as rich and diverse as "Ghost Town," "Lunatics" and "From Dawn To Distraction" is worth hearing. Your need to own it depends on how much fondness you have for the 80's...or if you were a college radio fan during a time when that meant going deep into albums like Terry Hall's."

An album to keep

E. MAGLAQUE | New Zealand | 06/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an album to keep, a collection of witty & emotional songs you wish you've written yourself. Terry Hall makes beautiful music, too bad he isn't as famous as he should be. I wish there will be a Collections 2, with the songs Confession and Sorry in it."