Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
CD Description
this unique special edition album celebrates 15 years of the success story that is Ministry of Sound's The Annual. The Annual: 15 Years takes the very best of the series’ history and packs the finest standout moments into three CDs, complete with a booklet describing the legacy since 1995. With a tradition of looking to the future the album also features upfront and future hits, creating an intriguing package of past, present and future anthems. The first disc features future releases from Alex Gaudino and Freemasons, current chart smashes from Example and Dizzee Rascal, and huge tunes from Calvin Harris, Sidney Samson, Kid Cudi, Fedde Le Grand and Eric Prydz. The album pays its respects to trance with legendary artists Paul van Dyk, Chicane, ATB, Zombie Nation, Alice Deejay and SASH! The who’s who of dance music doesn’t stop with Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Armand Van Helden and Groove Armada to name but a few.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
So it's been 15 years since the launch of Ministry Of Sound's flagship compilation 'The Annual'. During this time the club has grown from its origins in East London into a huge global force to be reckoned with. The sheer popularity and reputation of The Annual series has played a big part in this growth, regularly topping yearly best-selling album charts in the UK alone.
So 15 years of an impressive back catalogue of dance anthems should be something special? Well, unfortunately, this album shamefully doesn't quite hit the spot. They could have lifted any of the fantastic tracks this series has uncovered, but by picking only the most obvious tunes, only very casual newcomers to dance music will find something worth listening to...the rest of us will have to listen to 'Bonkers', 'Call On Me', '9pm (Til I Come)' and 'Put Your Hands Up For Detroit' for the 10-millionth time on a Ministry compilation. Yes these tracks have appeared on the Annuals, yes they are massive dance anthems, but do we really have to hear them yet again?
Further to this, the album is presented like a random hit parade: absolutely no context by era, genre or chronology. As a result you get the likes of The Prodigy sitting uncomfortably next to some Funky House anthems on CD3, and the late 90's cheese of Alice Deejay mentioned in the same breath as legendary trance producer Paul van Dyk on CD2. The mixing doesn't help either, occasionally it's not too bad in places, but in others, the tracks sound like they've been 'smashed' together: not a great listening experience. It all feels like it was rushed together with very little thought.
Oddly enough, the saving grace is the handful of new tracks that make up the first half of the first disc, particularly the new tracks 'Believer' by Freemasons and 'I Think I Like It' by Fake Blood, which are superb. Also the write up inside the booklet is excellent, talking about each past edition of The Annual and putting it into the context of each year.
It's been said many times before, but if you've got any of the original Annuals from 1995 to 2000, hold on to them dearly for this new offering is a very pale imitation by comparison.
A bit of quality control on the mixing and track selection on this album would have gone a long way to making this something special. Unfortunately this is just yet another random collection of exhausted dance anthems. Shame.
So 15 years of an impressive back catalogue of dance anthems should be something special? Well, unfortunately, this album shamefully doesn't quite hit the spot. They could have lifted any of the fantastic tracks this series has uncovered, but by picking only the most obvious tunes, only very casual newcomers to dance music will find something worth listening to...the rest of us will have to listen to 'Bonkers', 'Call On Me', '9pm (Til I Come)' and 'Put Your Hands Up For Detroit' for the 10-millionth time on a Ministry compilation. Yes these tracks have appeared on the Annuals, yes they are massive dance anthems, but do we really have to hear them yet again?
Further to this, the album is presented like a random hit parade: absolutely no context by era, genre or chronology. As a result you get the likes of The Prodigy sitting uncomfortably next to some Funky House anthems on CD3, and the late 90's cheese of Alice Deejay mentioned in the same breath as legendary trance producer Paul van Dyk on CD2. The mixing doesn't help either, occasionally it's not too bad in places, but in others, the tracks sound like they've been 'smashed' together: not a great listening experience. It all feels like it was rushed together with very little thought.
Oddly enough, the saving grace is the handful of new tracks that make up the first half of the first disc, particularly the new tracks 'Believer' by Freemasons and 'I Think I Like It' by Fake Blood, which are superb. Also the write up inside the booklet is excellent, talking about each past edition of The Annual and putting it into the context of each year.
It's been said many times before, but if you've got any of the original Annuals from 1995 to 2000, hold on to them dearly for this new offering is a very pale imitation by comparison.
A bit of quality control on the mixing and track selection on this album would have gone a long way to making this something special. Unfortunately this is just yet another random collection of exhausted dance anthems. Shame.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Not great. I have a lot of the tunes already. But it always sounds better in the trailer on TV - you think you don't have many of the tunes being advertised, which is why I bought it. And now I wish I hadn't. I wouldn't purchase The Annual again, because they all seem full of repeats. There are some tunes/songs I don't have, and for that I have to hang on to it. But those extra few tunes aren't worth £15 and the hassle of carrying them around on three full CDs. Could have had a lot more dancey, base tunes in it, instead of the more popular "pop" ones so common nowadays in even the most devoted of Clubs' CDs. Spoils it. They have to choose more carefully in future. Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal is good, but others spoil the true meaning of the words "club anthems". So in my opinion a bit of a sellout. Too like the "NOW" compilations. Pity. Could have been good. Disappointed.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
After having seen this advertised on TV and listening to a few samples of the listed tracks I thought this may be worth purchasing. Was I right to do so?
Yes I was. If you love your dance/trance/'typical club music' and a few others and want the very best selection over the past 15 years then this is the album for you.
THE TRACKS
There are 60 tracks in total plus three 1.25 hour mixes. The three mixes are simply tracks 1-20/21-40/41-60 played together. A nice touch and one track flows into the next rather well, however, in the days of iTunes and people wanting to choose which song they want to play and in what order this may not be for everyone. They are great if you just wish to play 20 tracks all at once though. The final three mixes may take a long time to download depending on your download speed and Amazon's servers.
As for the main 60 tracks there is a fair mix of great tunes from the past 15 years. You can see what the exact tracks are from the track listing. In my opinion, if you like this genre of music, you will easily instantly recognise - and love - at least 70-80% of the 60 tracks.
The versions of the tracks on the album are mainly the full versions. However, there are a few radio edits and selected mixes. The mixes chosen are (mainly) the more 'dancy' mixes which is usually the case with this kind of album anyway. I believe that the versions of the tracks have been well selected and thought through and the vast majority of them are the best versions of the tracks.
WHY NOT 5 STARS?
Some of the track versions may not be to everyone's taste, as well as a few of the tracks themselves. I haven't even heard of a few of the tracks on the album and wasn't that keen on them either.
OVERALL
A great album for those of you who want to experience many of the great dance/trance tracks that have been enjoyed by millions over the past 15 years. A highly recommended purchase if you don't already own most of these tracks!
Yes I was. If you love your dance/trance/'typical club music' and a few others and want the very best selection over the past 15 years then this is the album for you.
THE TRACKS
There are 60 tracks in total plus three 1.25 hour mixes. The three mixes are simply tracks 1-20/21-40/41-60 played together. A nice touch and one track flows into the next rather well, however, in the days of iTunes and people wanting to choose which song they want to play and in what order this may not be for everyone. They are great if you just wish to play 20 tracks all at once though. The final three mixes may take a long time to download depending on your download speed and Amazon's servers.
As for the main 60 tracks there is a fair mix of great tunes from the past 15 years. You can see what the exact tracks are from the track listing. In my opinion, if you like this genre of music, you will easily instantly recognise - and love - at least 70-80% of the 60 tracks.
The versions of the tracks on the album are mainly the full versions. However, there are a few radio edits and selected mixes. The mixes chosen are (mainly) the more 'dancy' mixes which is usually the case with this kind of album anyway. I believe that the versions of the tracks have been well selected and thought through and the vast majority of them are the best versions of the tracks.
WHY NOT 5 STARS?
Some of the track versions may not be to everyone's taste, as well as a few of the tracks themselves. I haven't even heard of a few of the tracks on the album and wasn't that keen on them either.
OVERALL
A great album for those of you who want to experience many of the great dance/trance tracks that have been enjoyed by millions over the past 15 years. A highly recommended purchase if you don't already own most of these tracks!
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
