Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sabres And Stovepipes, 23 April 2000
By A Customer
Its about eighteen years since this album first appeared on vinyl, and now Haysi Fantayzee fans (and yes - there are many!) are thrilled to see its release on CD at long last.The album contains the songs which made Haysi Fantayzee such a media and pop phenomenon here in the UK - the style of Kate and Jeremiah visually was always a clue to the music, but the content of that music escaped many. "Sabres Of Paradise" focussed on suicide, while "John Wayne Is Big Leggy" concerned itself with a stab in the eye of racism and the myth of white supremacy. And the ubiquitous "Shiny Shiny" was more than just a modern nursery rhyme - the song took a quirky look at an impending apocalypse. This album is a treat not only on its own merits, but also because of the inclusion of the 12" versions of many of the singles - the 'Groovy Long Version' of "John Wayne" is more fun than a bouncy castle in summertime, and the remix of "Sister Friction" is nothing short of thrilling. The only thing that would have improved the track listing would have been the inclusion of Kate's solo single, "Love Me Like A Rocket" - the remix of that was astonishing, with the vocals of a angel and the look of a devil! Take a walk back to 1983 and hear a timeless album that will have you humming away merrily all summer long. Dip beneath the Dickensian stove-pipes and dreadlocks and listen to the heart of the music. Re-live the good times ... You won't regret it..
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
They Came In Search Of Paradise..., 17 Jan 2008
Whilst the nation were cosying up to the housewife friendly pop tunes from Boy George during the eighties, I delighted in blasting out this raunchy (for it's time), raucous and utterly bonkers debut (and only) album from this fabulous pop combo.
This compilation is a Haysi fans godsend, complete with 12" versions and the unforgivably omitted (from the original album) 'Holy Joe'. Bouncing Pop tunes with singalong lyrics mask a content tackling racism, nuclear war and suicide, and Kate Garner's deliciously suggestive heavy breathing on 'Chizoola' could raise many an eyebrow even now!
The booklet info and pictures are excellent and any album that utilises pots, pans and children's toys to accompany the musical instruments and accentuate an original and stand alone sound is well worth it.
Only one small flaw in this audio spectacular is the extended version of 'Shiny Shiny' which sounds badly spliced together and differs from the original 12" vinyl Dance Mix (Shiny Shiny Dance (4:25) b/w Shiny Shiny 7" mix & Bon Temps version).
Apart from that, sheer brilliance!
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Madness and insanity, presented the way it should be, 7 Jul 2007
Back in 2000 when the first CD issue of "Battle Hymns" was released, I was so disappointed at the poor quality that plagued the CD - improper song editing, incorrect versions, low fidelity on a number of tracks, etc, etc... Having done audio remastering as a hobby for a couple of years by that point, I thought how much I would have liked to remaster the CD properly for release. I had no expectation that 7 years later, I would have that opportunity.
It's surprising that a short lived near-novelty group could have such an enduring legacy. The classic singles "Shiny Shiny" and "John Wayne is Big Leggy" seem to have never been forgotten. These two singles were sizeable hits in the UK, though here in the U.S. they remained cult classics and old MTV memories. Regardless, the music has stayed alive for some reason.
"Battle Hymns for Children Singing" is a really entertaining album that people generally either love or absolutely hate, and I can understand both views to a degree. Obviously, I'm a fan of the music, but daily doses could drive one to insanity (which would be a short trip for this reviewer). Visually, Haysi Fantayzee looked like a slightly off kilter Boy George, where as musically they had more in common with Bow Wow Wow, yet still remained an entity all their own. While the original idea of the group sounded like fun and insanity was their goal, by the time of their final single, "Sister Friction", it was clear they were trying to be more serious and "professional". It didn't work and the single failed, followed by the demise of the group shortly there after. Thankfully, what was left behind was a wonderfully unique bit of fun and nonsense that still retains a strong fanbase a quarter of a century after its release.
When I was given the green light to begin remastering the album and bonus tracks to CD, I took great care in ensuring the songs would bang into one another as on the original album, as opposed to the bad fade out/in style done with the previous CD. And I was also pleased to finally offer an actual 12" mix of "Shiny Shiny", as the original CD had some unknown version that had more in common with the Bon Temps version of the song than the well known classic single. This CD utilizes the original U.S. 12" mix. It wasn't until after the CD had been released that I found the UK 12" mix, though similar in timing and title to the U.S. 12" mix, is a completely different mix. But had I used that mix instead, I would have had people in the U.S. complaining the version they were familiar with had not been included. I also chose to use the U.S. album track listing, as I preferred the minor alterations to it in comparison to the UK issue. Besides, the inner sleeve lyric scans I provided coincided with this running order.
I always love the concept of including original record sleeves for inclusion in the booklet, as I've done with the Mobiles and Artery CD's I worked on for Cherry Red, so I provided all four single picture covers, a selection of record labels, as well as the original LP cover. I would have included the picture discs as well, though I did not have them available to me. The 20 page booklet is extremely well done, complete with a basic discography, history of the band, as well as comments from both Healy and Garner.
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