Pop Music
#TITLE#Top of the Pops 1968#/TITLE#
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#TITLE#King of Pop: Deluxe Box Set Edition#/TITLE#
King of Pop: Deluxe Box Set Edition
Customer Review: One of his best compilations
Unlike the ’seen it all before’ 1CD version of this collection, this one actually a wider spectrum of his music - which can only be a good thing!
It’s inevitable that the publics choice of songs on CD1 will end up containing all the usual MJ songs (Billie Jean, Thriller, Don’t Stop, Rock With You etc…) so it’s a huge relief to also have a second CD with some of his less remembered but in some cases much better hits.
Despite what I said about CD1, it still is great (it is Michael after all). It contains most of the biggest hits along with a couple of other tracks which tend not to be heard as much such as Scream, Remember the Time and They Don’t Care About Us (I didn’t realise this song was so popular with the british public).
I much perfer CD2 though. It contains most of his more ‘forgotten’ hits such as Say Say Say (which i didn’t actually own until now :D), I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, Ghosts, History, Dirty Diana, Blood on the Dancefloor, Will You Be There, Who Is It and Give in to Me. Each track is a gem. The only odd choice of song is Speechless which was never released as a single anywhere. It’s a great track though so it’s more then welcome.
CD3 is a nice extra. Can’t Get Outta the Rain has finally been released on CD, plus some unreleased versions of Is It Scary (a personal fave) and Smile are really nice to own.
There are only 3 things that i have to winge about..
1 - The lack of JAM????
2 - The lack of IN THE CLOSET??? Two of my favourite MJ songs ever 
3 - The lack of Got the Hots which has been released on loads of other KOP collections around the world - why not us?
The packaging is quite nice to. It’s a stiff card box which contains 3 x CDs in seperate card sleeves each with a picture of the man himself on the front along with a booklet (which, despite saying ‘DELUXE UK EDITION’ on the front is actually the same as the standard CD booket.) it starts off saying ‘These 18 tracks…’ when there’s actually 48 tracks!
Other then that it’ a great buy, so get it now!
Customer Review: wow what a box set forget the 1cd version finally does michael jackson justice what a talent!!
yeh i dont like scream but can be forgiven because this box set is fabolous he is the king of pop forever the only pop group to match his songwriteing and talent is the beatles!! there was a time when artists were artists and wrote there own music those were the days!! king op pop he certainly is buy this fantastic!1
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#TITLE#King of Pop, Best Of#/TITLE#
King of Pop, Best Of
Customer Review: please please please no more compilations michael
I’m not denying the quality of the music which is 5 stars all the way. However, since his last album of original music 8 years ago there has now been 4 compilations, as well as his 4 main albums being re-released, thriller 25 last year etc. Enough is enough ! We want some new original music.
Customer Review: Mmm..
I have pretty much every CD and Vinyl every released and was actually looking forward to this one as I HOPED it has MY favorite tracks on … But one essential one is missing : Dirty Diana .. I saw this one live in concert and it is one of my favorite tracks .. According to what I read in forums I am not alone .. but its not there .. I will probably give this one a miss (heck I probably buy it anyway).
I just gave it two stars simply to the fact that the last few releases were always “Best Of” - “The Ones”, “Thriller 25″, “Essentials” and whatnot ..
If you are new to Michael Jackson - get it - if you are not - not .
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#TITLE#The Big Top Records Story: Classic New York Pop 1958-1964#/TITLE#
The Big Top Records Story: Classic New York Pop 1958-1964
Customer Review: Finally, a third compilation on a great record label!
Ace, the greatest of surviving “oldies” archivist puts out the Big Top story, which was done twice already by lesser known manufacturers. This series will at least sound better in quality though this round shows lesser tracks than usual, but lesser is better than none.
Starting off first is Sunglasses by the Shades. Okay, did you know that the backups, the Knott Sisters is no other than Linda (AMBROSE) Laurie and a high school friend that joined her? Now you do.
Marci & the Mates with “Suddenly We’re Strangers”, well at least it isn’t “Should we Tell Him” which is on many compilations, lol!
2 tracks from Andrea Carroll, you just can’t go wrong there!
We see a lot of popular songs that I can do without (see greats like The Golden Age of American Rock and Roll & Radio Gold series) but hopefully Ace will put out a second edition soon with more obscurities and unreleased tracks.
THANK YOU ACE!
Larry Guidry
New Orleans
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#TITLE#Pop Art: Pet Shop Boys - The Hits#/TITLE#
Pop Art: Pet Shop Boys - The Hits
Managing–sort of–to keep within the Pet Shop Boys tradition of one-word album titles, the moniker of this latest best-of, PopArt, is typical of the band–arrogant and somewhat pretentious yet also tongue-in-cheek and slyly self-aware. All the 35 tracks on these two CDs are indeed both pop and art and rather than being in chronological order have been split in fairly arbitrary fashion across a “Pop” and, erm, an “Art” disc. The band are doubtless well aware that much heated discussion will take place among fans about which track belongs where, and indeed, as evidenced on the commentary of the accompanying DVD, squabbled about the splits themselves when compiling this release.
Philosophical debates aside, this is an absolutely essential collection for anyone who enjoys the Pet Shop Boys’ unique mix of bittersweet poignancy, archness and occasional high camp–or indeed for any discerning pop (or art) fan. Encompassing almost all their single releases (only “Was It Worth It?” and “How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?” are missing), this is a glorious retrospective of one of Britain’s finest pop institutions. Let’s hope there are another 35 singles half this good for a quadruple box set in another 18 years’ time. –Rikki Price
Customer Review: All their hits & more
This great two disc album from the Pet Shop Boys contains thirty five of the duos greatest songs. All of the Pet Shop Boys biggest hits, such as `Go West’ and `West End Girls’ are included as well as some that I hadn’t heard before buying this album but they are all very enjoyable. My favourite song from the album though is the relatively resent `Flamboyant’ and in all honesty it was this song that encouraged me to get the album in the first place. The one slight criticism of this album is that all of the truly great songs from the Pet Shop Boys could have easily fitted onto one CD rather but this is only a slight annoyance and even the songs presented here that are less that stunning are still a cut above much of the music released today. This album is great and would be of most interest to people who like the Pet Shop Boys but do not have own of their music.
Customer Review: Pop gold
Every track a classic, not a weak song on the album.
Totally recommend for your IPOD/MP3 for the gym
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#TITLE#Zoom Karaoke Pop Hits 1 - Double CD+G Album - 40 Songs#/TITLE#
Zoom Karaoke Pop Hits 1 - Double CD+G Album - 40 Songs
Featuring 40 pop high-quality karaoke favorites from the last year or so, this is a great compilation for everyone as Disc 1 features all female songs and Disc 2 features all male songs.
[DISC 1]
01. SMILE (Lily Allen)
02. HUNG UP (Madonna)
03. STICKWITU (The Pussycat Dolls)
04. I WISH I WAS A PUNK ROCKER (Sandi Thom)
05. CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD (Kylie Minogue)
06. FROM PARIS TO BERLIN (Infernal)
07. RED DRESS (The Sugababes)
08. SWAY (The Pussycat Dolls)
09. BECAUSE OF YOU (Kelly Clarkson)
10. COOL (Gwen Stefani)
11. CRAZY CHICK (Charlotte Church)
12. SUDDENLY I SEE (KT Tunstall)
13. BEEP (The Pussycat Dolls)
14. PUT YOUR RECORDS ON (Corinne Bailey Rae)
15. SORRY (Madonna)
16. FAME (Irene Cara)
17. GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN (Cyndi Lauper)
18. I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW (Tiffany)
19. DANCING QUEEN (Abba)
20. I WILL SURVIVE (Gloria Gaynor)
[DISC 2]
01. IS THIS THE WAY TO AMARILLO (Tony Christie)
02. BAD DAY (Daniel Powter)
03. VALERIE (The Zutons)
04. NO TOMORROW (Orson)
05. I DON’T FEEL LIKE DANCIN’ (The Scissor Sisters)
06. YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL (James Blunt)
07. FREE LOOP (Daniel Powter)
08. THAT’S MY GOAL (Shayne Ward)
09. YOU RAISE ME UP (Westlife)
10. CRAZY (Gnarls Barkley)
11. ROCK DJ (Robbie Williams)
12. OBVIOUSLY (McFly)
13. SPEED OF SOUND (Coldplay)
14. ALL TIME LOVE (Will Young)
15. BETTER TOGETHER (Jack Johnson)
16. STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU (Stealers Wheel)
17. DON’T STOP ME NOW (Queen)
18. DELILAH (Tom Jones)
19. HELP! (The Beatles)
20. BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP (The Foundations)
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#TITLE#100 Hits - 80’s Pop#/TITLE#
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#TITLE#Pop Jr [CD + DVD]#/TITLE#
Pop Jr [CD + DVD]
Customer Review: Great for kids
I bought this for my daughter when she was 3 as she loves music. She is now 5 and I am not sure which she has used more the cd or the dvd. She dances and sings away for hours, it’s great.
Customer Review: Good fun cd / dvd
I brought this dvd / cd set for my daughters 6th birthday party. We had a disco / karaokee party for boys and girls, and it was a huge success mainly down to this dvd & cd set. We had karaokee sessions, disco competition & all the other party games using this set, and both my 3 yr old son & my daughter often play the dvd and dance around to it. It’s nice to have something that isn’t aimed at the older children.
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#TITLE#Pop - the First 20 Hits#/TITLE#
Pop - the First 20 Hits
A singles band if ever there was one, the hits on Pop make the duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure sound like the Rogers & Hammerstein of synth-pop disco. With the exception of The Circus and The Innocents albums, most of Erasure’s full lengths house only a few brief moments of brilliance, the rest of the songs being limp and uninspired. But putting songs like “Blue Savannah” with its sweeping loveliness, the haunting “Ship of Fools,” and the campy, raucous “Love to Hate You” all on the same disc shows that when Erasure is on, they shine like a thousand-carat tiara. The energetic and electronic disco is front and center here with “Oh L’Amour” and the audience participation number “Stop!,” but the beautifully crafted “Sometimes” shows the band’s true potential. The irrepressible melody line is punctuated by an acoustic riff and a melancholy trumpet solo that actually has to do its best to keep up with Bell’s warm lament. An indispensable collection. –Steve Gdula
Customer Review: POP,POP AND MORE POP
At last all Erasure on one cd, 3 tracks to miss are HEAVENLY ACTION,WHO NEEDS LOVE LIKE THAT(BOTH REMIXES), all other tracks on the album are very good. A LITTLE RESPECT stands out as my best song on the album, AM I RIGHT a very close 2nd. The boys now show us all what fantastic song writers they are with this album. hopefully they will release a new album with all there greatest hits from their first hit WHO NEEDS LOVE LIKE THAT to there latest SUNDAY GIRL…….we wait and see
Customer Review: Unexpectedly Passionate, Romantic, and Bitter
I’m not often enthusiastic about club-dance-techno-pop bands, most of which seem determined to copy each other to the point of exhaustion. But I’ll make an exception for Erasure, which has a great deal more going for it than the vast majority of music you’re likely to hear the next time you hit the dance floor.
Chief among the band’s assets is vocalist Andy Bell, who has a remarkably rich and passionate voice–but Erasure does not rely on Bell pure and simple. It is the combination of Bell’s vocals, a bouncy beat, and the often unexpectedly thoughtful and frequently bitter lyrics that do the trick. The result is a consistent sound that crackles with a sensuous passion, and at its best creates one memorable cut after another.
POP! suffers from the usual failings of every compilation album, which is to say that it generally goes for the obvious choice even when a lesser-known selection is clearly superior. But even so, it offers a solid overview of Erasure, from the purely danceable to the disquietingly emotional playing against the dancefloor rhythm. “Ship of Fools,” “Chains of Love,” and “A Little Respect” are perhaps the side of Erasure that are most recognized–but when the selections turn to such intense and lyrically sharp selections as “Drama” and “Love to Hate You,” you know that you’ve stumbled into something special.
The compilation, in my opinion, saves the best for last, running a gamut from the intensely passionate and romantic “You Surround Me,” to the purely elegant “Blue Savannah,” to angry “Chorus,” to the moody and introspective “Am I Right”–the latter of which may well be single finest thing in this collection. As a garnish, the collection finishes up with a very enjoyable cover of Abba’s “Take A Chance.” But whichever you happen to prefer, it’s all good stuff. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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#TITLE#Children’s Christmas Carols and Songs [Pop Up Sleeve]#/TITLE#
Children’s Christmas Carols and Songs [Pop Up Sleeve]
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#TITLE#Pop - the First 20 Hits#/TITLE#
Pop - the First 20 Hits
A singles band if ever there was one, the hits on Pop make the duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure sound like the Rogers & Hammerstein of synth-pop disco. With the exception of The Circus and The Innocents albums, most of Erasure’s full lengths house only a few brief moments of brilliance, the rest of the songs being limp and uninspired. But putting songs like “Blue Savannah” with its sweeping loveliness, the haunting “Ship of Fools,” and the campy, raucous “Love to Hate You” all on the same disc shows that when Erasure is on, they shine like a thousand-carat tiara. The energetic and electronic disco is front and center here with “Oh L’Amour” and the audience participation number “Stop!,” but the beautifully crafted “Sometimes” shows the band’s true potential. The irrepressible melody line is punctuated by an acoustic riff and a melancholy trumpet solo that actually has to do its best to keep up with Bell’s warm lament. An indispensable collection. –Steve Gdula
Customer Review: POP,POP AND MORE POP
At last all Erasure on one cd, 3 tracks to miss are HEAVENLY ACTION,WHO NEEDS LOVE LIKE THAT(BOTH REMIXES), all other tracks on the album are very good. A LITTLE RESPECT stands out as my best song on the album, AM I RIGHT a very close 2nd. The boys now show us all what fantastic song writers they are with this album. hopefully they will release a new album with all there greatest hits from their first hit WHO NEEDS LOVE LIKE THAT to there latest SUNDAY GIRL…….we wait and see
Customer Review: Unexpectedly Passionate, Romantic, and Bitter
I’m not often enthusiastic about club-dance-techno-pop bands, most of which seem determined to copy each other to the point of exhaustion. But I’ll make an exception for Erasure, which has a great deal more going for it than the vast majority of music you’re likely to hear the next time you hit the dance floor.
Chief among the band’s assets is vocalist Andy Bell, who has a remarkably rich and passionate voice–but Erasure does not rely on Bell pure and simple. It is the combination of Bell’s vocals, a bouncy beat, and the often unexpectedly thoughtful and frequently bitter lyrics that do the trick. The result is a consistent sound that crackles with a sensuous passion, and at its best creates one memorable cut after another.
POP! suffers from the usual failings of every compilation album, which is to say that it generally goes for the obvious choice even when a lesser-known selection is clearly superior. But even so, it offers a solid overview of Erasure, from the purely danceable to the disquietingly emotional playing against the dancefloor rhythm. “Ship of Fools,” “Chains of Love,” and “A Little Respect” are perhaps the side of Erasure that are most recognized–but when the selections turn to such intense and lyrically sharp selections as “Drama” and “Love to Hate You,” you know that you’ve stumbled into something special.
The compilation, in my opinion, saves the best for last, running a gamut from the intensely passionate and romantic “You Surround Me,” to the purely elegant “Blue Savannah,” to angry “Chorus,” to the moody and introspective “Am I Right”–the latter of which may well be single finest thing in this collection. As a garnish, the collection finishes up with a very enjoyable cover of Abba’s “Take A Chance.” But whichever you happen to prefer, it’s all good stuff. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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#TITLE#One Hit Wonders: 18 Pop Classics from the Stars That Time Forgot#/TITLE#
One Hit Wonders: 18 Pop Classics from the Stars That Time Forgot
Customer Review: not very original
I should have read the reviews before purchasing this item and have learned my lesson. They say there is nothing like the originals and that is where this one stands - nothing like the originals - very disappointing.
Customer Review: Re-recordings
Sadly this CD fails to live up to expectations. After receiving the CD, it emerges that 15 of the 18 tracks are not originals, but re-recordings.
Yes, the CD is cheap, but the original recordings should have been used, or alternatively, a clear notice on the front of the CD cover, or in the track listings an indication that these are not the originals.
Very disappointed.
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#TITLE#Top Of The Pops: 1978#/TITLE#
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#TITLE#Pop Jr TV Songs#/TITLE#
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#TITLE#Fizzy Pop#/TITLE#
Fizzy Pop
Customer Review: talk about playing it safe
What can i say about their second album well after a promising punk/metal fueled debut album that seemed to have taken second place due to the media antics of Donny Tourette making a right plonker of himself on Big Brother and never mind the buzzcocks not so long ago while making an appearence alongside his band mates in their own spoof mockumentary taking in the scenes promoting their debut album with a few added punch ups with members of the public their second album which sees a different line up taking place after losing their drummer snel and Guitarist the Rev seems to have watered down their in your face aggression in favour of a nicer approach which takes some of the sheen of their new album.
Tracks like “Saw her naked on the dance floor” is catchy enough in some places whilst tracks like “start the rupt”, “Go Sister Go” and “1984 “Nanny Nation” are notable rockers but added with the image overhaul of the group it seems they are trying their hand at being a Oasis tribute act which like on the video to saw her naked on the dance floor the sight of them being casually dressed in indie clothes and looking well innocent is a far cry from their denim and leathered peroxide look that attracted nothing but trouble that gave them and their debut album the edge which fizzy pop lacks!
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