"A real must for any collector of one of the best groups of the late 70s and early 80s. Who could resist such hidden lost classics like the acoustic Liza Radley? You will also get classics like "Burning Sky" and "Eton Rifles" - both sound like Weller was alone in the front room of his house. A real must have."
My Favorite Jam CD
Anthony S. Alpert | Weaverville, CA | 02/10/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First, I have every Jam record and I bought them in the 80's. I am a diehard Jam fan and just missed see them live. With that said, this was my favorite tape when I bought it. I listened to all the studio tapes first and wore out a few, including my favorite, Setting Sons. Then after years of listening to the same Jam songs over and over, "Extras" came out. What a great CD! This should not be your first Jam CD. Get Setting Sons or Sound Affects. Then get more studio CD's This should be you last Jam CD to full appreciate it. Chock full of rare and wonderful sounds by one of the greatest bands ever."
Get this collection!
Greg K. Afuso | Corpus Christi, Texas | 10/27/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Are you a middle-age working stiff sitting in a cubicle all day wondering if it's all worth it and secretly composing the revolutionary symphony which will someday overthrow the burning sky and restore the values we once had? Well relax realist, get yourself together and go back to the dream mixed in nostalgia because we are all absolute beginners taking a chance on beginner's luck. Good in'nit? Don't get it? Get the collection: amazing writing, tunes and songs - Weller's a poet and the Jam is end-of- the-century power-pop at its best."
Necessary for Jam completists
Alan Hutchins | Denver, CO | 12/17/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"OK, so you're a major Jam fan and are wondering about this release. Let's say you have the Direction Reaction Creation box set---do you still need this release? All of the previously released B-Sides that are on this disc are also on that set, and Disc 5 of that set has a bunch of demos and otherwise unreleased songs. Are they all the same as the ones here? No. Here's a list of the 14 songs or versions of songs from this release that are NOT included in the box set:
Track Number on "Extras":
3. Liza Radley (acoustic demo)
7. Pop Art Poem
8. Boy About Town (alternate version)
10. No One In The World (demo)
11. And Your Bird Can Sing (demo)
12. Burning Sky (demo)
13. Thick As Theives (demo)
15. Get Yourself Together (demo)
20. But I'm Different Now (demo)
21. I Got You (I Feel Good) (demo)
22. Hey Mister (piano demo)
23. Saturday's Kids (demo)
24. We've Only Just Started (early fast demo version of "Tales From The Riverbank")
26. Eton Rifles (demo)
This means that the box set duplicates a total of 12 tracks from this disc (The duplicates are tracks 1-2, 4-6, 9, 14, 16-19, and 25.)
So for you, anal-retentive Jam fan who's seeking to have it all, the question is whether the disc is worth 14 songs you don't have on the box set. For most of you, the answer is a pretty resounding "Yes!". The many demo versions of songs are at a minimum interesting, and occasionally brilliant. They offer an early glimpse or alternate tempo/lyrics, etc. to songs you've grown familiar with. A few songs are less familiar or weren't released and those are important to have as well. The cover versions are a kick as the Jam take on the daunting task of inhabiting Beatles, James Brown and Small Faces songs. "Disguises", one of those songs duplicated on the box set and this disc, arguably even tops the Who's original version. The Jam was an amazingly prolific band and their unreleased or B-side cast-offs were often as good or better than more focused tracks.
This is a vital disc for rounding out your Jam collection. It's not a place to start one, though.
"
A final collectors album, very worthwhile
David Gibbs | Kuwait | 05/09/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In about 1990, I wrote to Polydor Records and asked them to release a load of Jam material that I had sitting on bootlegs, B-sides and various live tapes. I have no idea whether my letter worked, but two years later, this came out. And I was very glad.
The high points of the album are The Butterfly Collector and Tales From The Riverbank, which most Jam fans agree, was a better B-side than its A-side, Absolute Beginners. A Solid Bond In Your Heart also makes interesting listening, as you realise that the band made the right choice releasing Beat Surrender as their last single. Its still better than The Style Council's eventual release though....
While I was over the moon that 1992 saw the first Jam album of "new" (if you can call it that) material, it was also a missed opportunity. Apparently Polydor has lost all the early tapes of Jam B-sides like Carnaby Street, The Night and See Saw - songs on which Bruce Foxton all sang lead vocal. There are also other Jam songs that still have not seen the light of day on CD yet, notably the fan-club version of Riverbank, Rain (a Beatles cover) and other tracks like the 12" of Precious. How about an Extras II??"
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1
