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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
As Good As It Gets collects Gene's complete singles output, spanning 1994-99, plus a smattering of album tracks, all of which serve as a fitting tribute to a seriously undervalued band. Gene have long been saddled with the tag "Smiths copyists" and, let's face it, there's no escaping the mighty Manc miserablists' paw-prints on their early material. Their first two--admittedly rather fine--singles, "For The Dead" and "Be My Light, Be My Guide", spotlight Steve Mason's jangling Marr-esque arpeggio guitar and the Rozza's Morrissey-like phrasing and Wildean way with a witty epithet. However, they gradually moulded their own distinctive oeuvre, majoring in elegantly attired urban vignettes such as "London, Can You Wait", lifted from 1995's debut album Olympian. Other highlights include the stomping rock & soul of "Haunted By You", the magnificently lachrymose drinking lament "Fill Her Up" and, of course, those languidly crooned ballads "Olympian" and "You'll Never Walk Again". --Chris King
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is a great introduction of one of the most underrated British bands of the 1990s. It contains all 11 of the bands' singles, as well as a smattering of album tracks and b-sides, alongside their cover of The Jam's "Town Called Malice" from the "Fire and Skill" tribute album. One listen to this excellent compilation will convince you that rather than the meat-and-potatoes Smiths copyists the music press made them out to be, Gene really are something very special. (New album out later this year)
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
There's so much to say about this band, apart from the usual
"Ooh, don't they sound like The Smiths", but no amount of praise from me will ever undo the harm done by that last comparison.
Quite simply, I believe this band to be one of English music's greatest hidden assets.
I spent all of the 90's working for a major record chain (the same one as Martin Rossiter, lead singer of Gene, worked for prior to entering a more public kind of obscurity) and during that time I got to hear pretty much everything of any interest that was pumped out by the Indie labels.
Gene really are a cut above the rest. As another reviewer rightly (in my view) observed, the guitar lines really are AT LEAST equal to Johnny Marr's creations and are, quite simply (if comparisons are not your bag) ... utterly beautiful!
Anthems like "Olympian" and "London, can you wait"? deserve a much wider audience than they are currently afforded.
I logged on to Amazon today to see if the band had recorded anything since I left the country, but was sad to see that nothing new has been recorded in the last few years. I sincerely hope that they haven't become a case of "Where are they now"? (my favourite song of theirs, incidentally)!
Buy this CD and prepare to smile yourself silly at their melodic pop sensibilities!
"Ooh, don't they sound like The Smiths", but no amount of praise from me will ever undo the harm done by that last comparison.
Quite simply, I believe this band to be one of English music's greatest hidden assets.
I spent all of the 90's working for a major record chain (the same one as Martin Rossiter, lead singer of Gene, worked for prior to entering a more public kind of obscurity) and during that time I got to hear pretty much everything of any interest that was pumped out by the Indie labels.
Gene really are a cut above the rest. As another reviewer rightly (in my view) observed, the guitar lines really are AT LEAST equal to Johnny Marr's creations and are, quite simply (if comparisons are not your bag) ... utterly beautiful!
Anthems like "Olympian" and "London, can you wait"? deserve a much wider audience than they are currently afforded.
I logged on to Amazon today to see if the band had recorded anything since I left the country, but was sad to see that nothing new has been recorded in the last few years. I sincerely hope that they haven't become a case of "Where are they now"? (my favourite song of theirs, incidentally)!
Buy this CD and prepare to smile yourself silly at their melodic pop sensibilities!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I was fortunate to receive this Cd recently as a birthday present and it is absolutley fantastic!
As a 39 year old former Headbanger I Normally listen to the likes of Budgie or Black Sabbath but remembered hearing 2 or 3 of these songs what seems like years ago on the old drive time radio one show (you know,before they decided to be a dance music station).Largely derided in the press(what do they ever know!) as Smiths copyists which although a fair comparison it does not do them justice.Every track on this cd is a masterpiece of emotive songwriting and I actually prefer the guitar playing here over and above that of the overrated Johnny marr.
Highlights are many and it's testament to the quality within that I cannot single out any track as better than the next.
If you are a fan of the Smiths or Indie type music or new wave or whatever pigeonhole you find yourself in then I urge you to buy this cd to enjoy a slice of British pop-rock quality music.
As a 39 year old former Headbanger I Normally listen to the likes of Budgie or Black Sabbath but remembered hearing 2 or 3 of these songs what seems like years ago on the old drive time radio one show (you know,before they decided to be a dance music station).Largely derided in the press(what do they ever know!) as Smiths copyists which although a fair comparison it does not do them justice.Every track on this cd is a masterpiece of emotive songwriting and I actually prefer the guitar playing here over and above that of the overrated Johnny marr.
Highlights are many and it's testament to the quality within that I cannot single out any track as better than the next.
If you are a fan of the Smiths or Indie type music or new wave or whatever pigeonhole you find yourself in then I urge you to buy this cd to enjoy a slice of British pop-rock quality music.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Highly Recommended
I was a huge Britpop fan but never really got in to Gene. Having stumbled upon the 'Greatest Hits' I thought I would treat myself seeing as the CD was such a low price. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr Ironbrew
As good as it gets
"As good as it gets" is a collection of timeless classics but at the same time fails to deliver a round up view of Gene's entire releases. Read more
Published 19 months ago by 60's Fanatic
Well worth the money
I remember hearing We Could Be Kings back when it came out and thought it was a great song but never purchased any of their albums. Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2010 by Rudy
Where are they now?
Quite simply the most under rated band of the last 15 years. Gene never quite got the recognition that they deserved or the plaudits that their music demanded. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2007 by Rich B
Best of the britpop rest.
Gene never recovered from having the label of Smiths wannabees' thrown at them...true, they had a singer of ambigous sexuality who thrived on throwing caustic soundbites at the... Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by Bruno
Pure class
I first saw Gene live at The Lomax in Liverpool in early 1994 and was blown away by them.
Everything about the band exuded class,right down to the artwork used on their... Read more
Everything about the band exuded class,right down to the artwork used on their... Read more
Published on 17 April 2007 by P. Gleave
Better than as good as it gets!!!
A trylu wonderful collection of fantastic songs spanning almost 10 years.
Marton Rossiter (lead singer) has one of those unforgettable and distinctive voices, very easy on the... Read more
Marton Rossiter (lead singer) has one of those unforgettable and distinctive voices, very easy on the... Read more
Published on 5 July 2004 by K Watson
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