Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Put a smile on my face!, 3 Aug 2007
Well, I might as well chime in with the same start to my reviews as others have:
I bought this album based on the opening Coldplay remix, God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (feat. The Daptone Horns). This is without a doubt the best opening track to any album I own, and I have quite a few. I flicked through the others but none of them seemed to have the immediate upbeat, get up, energetic tempo that the first track provides.
So, a few listens of the first track on the way to France was all I gave it. On the way back however I got stuck in a three hour traffic jam on the M25 and out of sheer boredom I let the album run. How glad am I that I did?
The Lilly Allen remix was cheerful and pleasant then I got to the ODB version of Toxic. I was sat in the traffic jam in hysterics. I had no idea what was coming and could barely believe it. I listened to it again four times and was so amused and impressed. From that point on I was hooked. The album played out and with the exception of Pretty Green (I just find the singing so annoying) I could listen to, and have listened to the tracks a hundred times over and more.
Absolute favourite is Diversion leading into Kasabians L.S.F. This to me is audio perfection. I can listen to it when I'm happy, annoyed, at the gym, at home relaxing. It's really that good. At least to me.
Yes there are a lot of horns on the album (no doubt from the other reviews you'll have gathered this!) however if you think that's all he's done then you're not listening closely enough. There is a lot of detail gone in and indeed as one other reviewer said - he's taken some great, great songs (like Radiohead's' Just) and made them even better.
Of course, if horns aren't your thing then maybe best to look elsewhere, but do yourself a favour and give it at least one listen. What's the worst that can happen...?
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not what you might expect from Mark Ronson - but good nonetheless, 12 April 2007
It's great to see such progression; Mark Ronson's last album was a reasonable DJ's effort to corral in some Hip-Hop egos and cliches, but Version shows a musical and artistic maturity and growth that is heartening to hear.
Although best known as a DJ, Ronson pulls in some big band sounds with real horns, strings and percussion creating an expansive soundstage for the singers to really play on. Don't worry, though - there is still a fair amount of turntablism and rhythm-nous to keep these tracks rocking.
All of the songs lend themselves very well to this treatment, coming largely from the 60s-inspired BritPop era. The only bum note in the album is Lily Allen, but that may just be my personal prejudice against her. Amy Winehouse, Robbie Williams and Kasabian all pull off some very engaging tracks. I think my favourite track has to be the cover of "Just" (originally by Radiohead from the amazing "The Bends" album) - it's incredibly ambitious to take on such an iconic song, but to actually make something vastly different and equally good deserves huge praise. "Toxic" (yes, the Britney Spears track) also gets a superb makeover, despite ODB's somewhat jarring cameo.
All in all, a very worthy album and a fine purchase.
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20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't believe a word, 20 Dec 2007
I admit it, I bought this after reading the hype in the highbrow press. It was a mistake. This album does not in any way add to the original songs - it actually subtracts something - joyful creativity mostly. And believe the other reviewers too - all the tracks do sound the same - artificial, over-busy and over-compressed. It might sound OK as a 15 second TV advert soundtrack, but it's just plain painful on any half-decent sound system.
If you can get over the production values, you'll reveal this album for what it is - a sterile, lifeless, vacuous sham. Buy it only if you feel it lends your collection artistic credibility, just don't bother playing it. Better still, if you're a lover of the horn (and who isn't), buy Dexys' Searching For The Young Soul Rebels or Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue instead, and be blown away.
Version gets my 'Worst Purchase of 2007 Award' for sure.
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