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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It's getting on for 20 years now since Roddy Frame burst onto the scene with High Land, Hard Rain, a refreshing blend of poetry set to a jazzy latino-folksy soundtrack, full of angry young man nous and laden with punk attitude. The album (which includes Oblivious, Pillar to Post, Walk Out to Winter and We Could Send Letters) thrust Frame into that unenviable group of artists who would be destined to never repeat the brilliance of their explosive debut. But that does not detract from the fact that Frame went on to deliver a catalogue of subtle, consumately brilliant music.
This 'best of' collection reflects a changing style and gradual maturing: from the early angst, through the most perfectly constructed song-writing and production of 1987's 'Love', and into the 90s with 'Spanish Horses' (an homage to Barcelona and 'Guadi's soft confusion'). My only criticism would be that to fully reflect the progression of Roddy's musical style, the playlist should include at least another dozen songs, and a whole lot more from the excellent jazz-cool and Sakamoto-inspired Frestonia.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Don't get me wrong, I think Aztec Camera (and also Roddy Frame's solo work) are wonderful. After hearing John Peel playing 'Pillar to Post' back in 1982 (I think) I bought anything of theirs I could find. High Land Hard Rain definitely ranks among the very greatest debut albums and few would deny that Roddy Frame never bettered it (personally, I blame Mark Knoppfler for his smothering production on the second album, 'Knife') - indeed, I would argue that High Land Hard Rain is much more deserving of the title "The Best of Aztec Camera" than this assortment is. This collection has one or two too many tracks from 'Love' , only a couple from 'Stray', just one from 'Dreamland' and nothing at all (!) from the underrated 'Frestonia'. Ideally, a new 'best of' would now include many tracks from Roddy Frame's excellent 'Surf' album.
However, track selection is not my real gripe here. What really chokes me is the version of Van Halen's 'Jump': I saw Aztec Camera live in London in 83/84 and Roddy finished with his totally over-the-top guitar-god version of Jump which ripped the proverbial out of the original. They had the good sense to record a similar version for the b-side of the 'All I need is everything' 12" single. Although I already owned all their other CDs I rushed to buy this album purely because I saw that it contained 'Jump'. I cannot exaggerate my disgust at finding that they have faded out the last half of the track... THE BEST BIT!!! Fortunately, I have since been able to source the glorious full version, but I still cannot bear to play this CD.
My advice: Buy Hard Land Hard Rain (and Surf). Borrow Frestonia, Dreamland, Stray, Love, North Star and (if you must) Knife to see which suits you. Then steal (or obtain by any method possible) the FULL version of Jump.
However, track selection is not my real gripe here. What really chokes me is the version of Van Halen's 'Jump': I saw Aztec Camera live in London in 83/84 and Roddy finished with his totally over-the-top guitar-god version of Jump which ripped the proverbial out of the original. They had the good sense to record a similar version for the b-side of the 'All I need is everything' 12" single. Although I already owned all their other CDs I rushed to buy this album purely because I saw that it contained 'Jump'. I cannot exaggerate my disgust at finding that they have faded out the last half of the track... THE BEST BIT!!! Fortunately, I have since been able to source the glorious full version, but I still cannot bear to play this CD.
My advice: Buy Hard Land Hard Rain (and Surf). Borrow Frestonia, Dreamland, Stray, Love, North Star and (if you must) Knife to see which suits you. Then steal (or obtain by any method possible) the FULL version of Jump.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Overall, I was pleased with this disc; all the hits are here, and all the classic tracks. However, I was highly disappointed that they opted to use the album version of "All I Need Is Everything," as opposed to the single mix. The album version goes on forever and doesn't know how to end. Dig up a copy of the 45 (if you can) to hear a great example of classic 80's pop.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Memories
This album takes me back, enjoyed the memories and loved singing along. Would recommend to all 30 somethings and all others
Published 6 months ago by Mrs. C. Angus
The brilliant roddy frame
Discover the very underrated Aztec Camera with this best of album with tracks from his group career with the sublime Walk out to Winter and Pillar to Post to later classics such as... Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2010 by W. J. Beckwith
Roddy Frame( Aztec Camera ) Dylan of the 80s
One of the many talented singer song writers of the 80s roddy frame and aztec camera have produced some of the best sounding songs on many albums from the early 80s to the early... Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2009 by A. Brown
Solid round-up of Roddy Frame's best moments.
Rather like the work of Prefab Sprout, Aztec Camera's output is neither forward thinking nor particularly adventurous, just wide-eyed songs of love and other important things like... Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2000
Growing up in a snap-shot....
Roddy Frame burst onto the music scene courtesy of a small,independent Scottish Record Label called Postcard,and for a brief moment,was championed as a teenage prodigy with talents... Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2000 by butty@tinyworld.co.uk
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