Michael Kerner | Brooklyn, New York U.S.A. | 05/23/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There are often times where I absolutely wonder why so many acts today like Britney Spears, Usher and Beyonce', seem to be more about the image over the music. It is definitely a sad case. That is why I would rather prefer listening to guilty pleasures of the past, because the music was a bit more organic back in the 80's. One of my favorites of course that still sticks in my head is Huey Lewis & The News. Since their 80's days, they have been gone but definitely not forgotten within their music and the appeal of a great song. They have also had a mostly good greatest hits record a decade ago with Time Flies in 1996, but that collection could've had more to offer. Now another record might take its place as a really better greatest hits record.
Huey Lewis & The News 2006 Greatest Hits record is a bit more than what the previously hits had to offer. The compilation does really showcase what made this 80's group had definitely delivered, great music and good appeal with pop, soul & R&B. The compilation is restored and remastered very well and includes a lot of the groups biggest 80's hits like I Want A New Drug, Heart And Soul, If This Is It, the #1 Back To The Future Track The Power Of Love, the bluesy Workin' For A Livin'. The album also adds on very well by including tracks surprisingly overlooked from the last greatest hits record like the upbeat Hip To Be Square, Jacob's Ladder and Perfect World. The album also delivers Huey's duet with Gwenyth Paltrow on the Smokey Robinson cover of Crusin'. Although the album overlooks a few minor tracks like Bad Is Bad, the collection is purely definitive.
All in all, there have been very few good records out there right now, but Huey Lewis & The News Greatest Hits is a definite buy for die hard fans of this 80's gem, or for anybody who hasn't heard the original heart of rock and roll. I absolutely suggest this record.
Album Cover: A-
Songs: A-
Price: B+
Remastering: A
Overall: B+"
It's hip to be square again...Greatest Hits album shines!
A. G. Corwin | 05/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just in time for their new summer tour, 80's superstars Huey Lewis and the News are back with a comprehensive 21-track greatest hits album that truly lives up to its name, Greatest Hits, and is a must for any fans of the band.
Greatest Hits is only the fourth release by the band in the last decade. Plan B was an album of new material that predictably faltered in a world of sugary pop and bouncing rap. A greatest hits album entitled Time Flies was released in 1996 and sold well, and a live album entitled Live at 25 was released in 2005 to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary. Fine albums both, but fans complained that favorites were missing and not every song was getting its due. With Huey and the News hip again in pop culture, Huey showing up on tv shows, the music getting shoutouts in movies like American Psycho, and the band being a solidly consistant and fun draw on the summer music circuit, the time was right for this release. This album is a reward for long time fans by providing the biggest bang for the buck and all the hits you remember.
Greatest Hits contains 21 tracks, five more than Time Flies, and these tracks are pure tap your toes hit songs without any filler. The track sequencing of the new release is excellent, with the triple threat kickoff of Heart of Rock and Roll, I Want a New Drug, and The Power of Love. The record flows smoothly from one track to the next, bringing back memories of days gone by and music from another era. The duet Cruisin', from the movie Duets with Gwyneth Paltrow makes an appearance, as does a live version of Trouble In Paradise. Other tracks making appearances are the classic Hip to be Square, Small World, I Know What I Like, and Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do, If This Is It, and Doing It All For My Baby. The sound quality is wonderful, the engineers doing a fantastic job making each track sound as good as possible.
This is a fun, nostalgic album perfect for fans or those not so familiar with the band's music. The track selection is great, although everyone will have one song or two from the catalogue that they wish was here. At under a dollar a song, this album is a relative bargain, and will be blasting from the speakers at my summer parties. Recommended.
A.G Corwin
St.Louis, MO"
All songs edited
Chris Bunnell | utah | 10/06/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Here is the good about the album: The songs are great. The songs selected are very good it has something from every album but the Plan B album. The remastering is good too. I have all the albums and loved them as a kid growing as I do now in my 30's. It's great to have them all together. Also I will say kudos for including Back in Time from B2F soundtrack. The Crusin' song is on there too (edited).
Here is the bad:
The fact that they crammed all 21 of them onto 1 cd stinks. All the solos and great instrumental parts of the songs have been taken out. They should have done 2 discs in order to include the complete songs. I still have the time flies GH from '96. It ony has 12 songs as I recall but they are unedited and the complete versions of the songs. So I'll hang onto that. I realize they cd is 80 mins with 21 songs this is great but with the solos gone it's not a great as it could have been."
Punchy, Heavy, Crisp Remastering Makes This A 5-Star Release
Jason W. Bellenger | Byron Center, Michigan, USA | 05/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Finally!
Following in the steps of recent `Greatest Hits' offerings by Pat Benatar (2005), J. Geils Band (2006) and Poison (2006), Capitol Records finally issues a more up-to-date hits collection from the guys from San Francisco. After the disappointing 1996 `Best Of' issue many fans were hoping for a more complete single disc retrospective. Finally, it's here!
While this release has it's flaws it is simply the best single disc Huey Lewis & The News offering on the market today. Nearly every track has received a stunning remastering treatment by Robert Vosgien at Capitol Mastering Studios, Hollywood. This guy has done a brilliant job with these recordings! Never have these songs sounded so clear and full! I'm so excited to be able to listen to these songs for the first time in this new upgraded sound. Check out "Hip To Be Square"! This song has never had so much kick! The remastering alone makes this compilation worth owning! It sounds much better than the 1996 hits offering.
On a side note, the liner notes state that only tracks 1-13, 16, 17, & 19-21 were remastered. That means tracks 14 ("It's Alright"), 15 ("Cruisin'"), and 18 ("But It's Alright") were not remastered by Robert. This is fine, considering the "Cruisin'" track is from 2000, not really in need of a remaster. "It's Alright" from 1993 is an a cappella track, so any audio upgrades are probably hard to hear. Nonetheless, "But It's Alright" from 1994 has been upgraded as well. The sound is an obvious improvement over the '94 release.
Capitol was quite generous with this release, including a total of 21 Huey Lewis & The News hits, ranging from their very first Top Ten smash - 1982's "Do You Believe In Love" - to Huey's #1 Adult Contemporary smash from 'Duets' - 2000's "Cruisin" (with Gwyneth Paltrow). I was most excited to see the latter track make an appearance here. The real treat, however, is to finally have a remastered "Back In Time" on CD format. (I have been waiting for this one for a few years now!) The somewhat rare track, which was featured in the movie `Back To The Future' and left off the `96 compilation, makes a much-anticipated appearance here. Additionally, "Jacob's Ladder" - a #1 single in early `87 - gets a spot here. Also, making appearances now are hits such as "Hip To Be Square" (#3 in `86), "Perfect World" (#3 in '88), and "But It's Alright" (#54 in `94) -- all of which were missing from the `96 collection!
The liner notes include recent commentary by Huey Lewis himself, Jimmy Kimmel, and Paul Libaratore. Additionally, Billboard chart positions (Pop, Rock, AC) of the tracks and the albums from which they are pulled are included. Several photos spanning the band, single sleeves, and album covers adorn the recording package.
The problem with the `Time Flies' package is that the label tried shoving 4 new songs on a hits package. It limited the amount of hits that could make the cut. This new 2006 `Greatest Hits' fixes that problem for the most part.
However, this release does have it's faults. Missing tracks from the collection include "Walking On A Thin Line" (#18 in `84), "Give Me The Keys (And I'll Drive You Crazy)" (#47 in `89), "It Hit Me Like A Hammer" (#21 in `91), and "(She's) Some Kind Of Wonderful" (#44 in `94). Also missing are any songs from the band's 1980 self-titled debut and 2000 'Plan B' release. However, only so many songs can fit on a `Greatest Hits' 1-disc set, so I would imagine picking which songs to leave out would have been difficult. The label, for the most part, decided to focus more so on the chart hits, and it works fine for this release.
I considered knocking the compilation down a star for missing two Top 25 hits, but in the end the inclusion of several key tracks (i.e. "Back In Time" and "Cruisin'") and a generous 79 minutes of music make up for what's missing. Top that with the stunning mastering job and it easily replaces the `Time Flies: The Best Of Huey Lewis & The News' disc. Now it would be nice if we could get Capitol to issue a DVD companion - featuring their ENTIRE video history in remastered 5.1 sound - and a remastered reissue of the entire News' catalogue. (A limited edition CD/DVD issue does exist. The DVD, unfortunately, contains only 10 select, random videos from their catalogue!)
Now, from the liner notes, I have provided a complete listing of the single versions featured on this release:
01 The Heart Of Rock & Roll [single edit]
02 I Want A New Drug [single edit]
03 The Power Of Love (from 'Back To The Future') [single edit]
04 Jacob's Ladder [single remix]
05 Stuck With You [single edit]
06 Doing It All For My Baby
07 If This Is It
08 Do You Believe In Love
09 Heart And Soul
10 Back In Time (from 'Back To The Future')
11 Perfect World [single edit]
12 I Know What I Like [single edit]
13 Trouble In Paradise [live in San Francisco, CA, 2/21/85]
14 It's Alright
15 Cruisin' [edit] (Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis)
16 Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do
17 Small World (featuring Stan Getz) [single edit]
18 But It's Alright
19 Hip To Be Square [single edit]
20 Couple Days Off [single edit]
21 Workin' For A Livin'
"
An all around package
DukesFan01 | United States | 06/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Purchasing this retrospective on Huey Lewis and The News has been one of the best CD purchases I have made in quite some time. Writing a review for an item like this is simple. It is quite apparent that this project was taken very seriously by all those involved, and the presentation all around is slick and professional.
First, the packaging is exquisite. Featuring liner notes by Lewis himself, a fun trip down memory lane by superfan Jimmy Kimmel (who apparently regularly hosts The News on his talk show), and then a critical analysis by journalist Paul Liberatore, the buyer is afforded a little perspective on the impact of the band over the years...from its lead singer, from a fan and then from a critic's point of view. All three essays show that Huey Lewis and The News effected a lot of people through the years and provided great memories through their music, concerts, and of course, their classic early-era MTV videos.
Secondly, the songs have never sounded better. I owned several vinyl albums by this band back in the 1980s and the remastering job on this CD is excellent...the songs have a great bounce and sound thick coming through the speakers. Moreover, the song selection is near perfect, and superior to their old greatest hits compilation released in the mid-1990s. I rediscovered "Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do," one of their earliest singles and a song worthy of the larger audience it receives here. Also very enjoyable was late-era News material, especially the late '80s tunes "Perfect World" and "Small World," and the early '90s hits "But It's Alright," "Couple Days Off" and "It's Alright." My only concern with the song selection was that a couple of my old favorites were omitted (probably due to time constraints), including "Walking on a Thin Line" and 1991's "It Hit Me Like a Hammer." But with iTunes, I simply downloaded those two songs and added them to the album on my iPod.
Another note on the packaging---there are tons of great pictures of the band included...from their MTV days, old album and single covers and more, which makes the listen that much better. The release date and chart position for every song is also included, and it reminded me just how many radio hits this band had in their time.
Once again, this is one of the best purchases I have made in a while. "Greatest Hits" is the perfect summer soundtrack and has allowed me to take a stroll down memory lane, remembering the days when I was kid and listening to this music the first time around. There is another version of this album where the CD is packaged with a bonus DVD featuring the band's music videos, but the VH1 Classic channel has been airing many Huey Lewis and The News videos lately that I didn't feel it necessary to buy. After enjoying this CD as much as I have, I am now regretting not picking it up for posterity.
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1
