Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
That's right that's right that's right....., 20 Dec 2004
Here we have an album featuring all of Muds RAK label A sides and most of their b sides. The sleeve notes mention that eight tracks appear on cd for the first time in the UK - so presumably they have been available on cd import up until now...Mud were a prolific chart singles act in the early/mid 70s so it's rather surprising that you only really hear two of their songs played on the radio these days - the slice of delicate yuletide emotional blackmail 'Lonely this Christmas' and the rousing 'Tiger Feet'. Both these hits made no. 1 of course but so also did Muds almost unaccompanied version of the old song 'Oh Boy' which sounds quite grand with its clean harmonies. The hits still sound great; I particularly like 'Rocket' and 'The secrets that you keep' - a song sung in a very 'Elvis' type style by lead singer Les Gray. The b-sides are a mixed bag ('I can't stand it' and 'The Ladies' are particularly throwaway). Most are written by Stiles/Mount/Gray/Davis who are of course the four members of the band. I like the harmonious 60s sounding 'Mr Bagatelle' and the acoustic 'Morning'; both in total contrast to their rousing a-sides, 'Tiger Feet' and 'The Cat crept in' respectively, whilst 'Watching the Clock' and 'Still watching the Clock' are glorious slices of Mud Rock. I wonder how many fans who bought the singles actually played the b-sides ? I bet they got one quick spin and that was it, never played again. An interesting inclusion also is a version of the Glenn Miller instrumental 'In the Mood' done in the Mud style - it was released under the pseudonym of Dum (get it ?) at the height of Muds success but failed to trouble the charts. The album comes with some good sleeve notes by Martin Hutchinson and some tributes to the late Les Gray and Mickie Most. I did spot some glaring typos on Errol Browns quote which seemed to have escaped quality control viz; ".....without taking himseif to seriously....and was sad to here of his passing". Otherwise, well done EMI, another worthwhile release which should delight the passing listener and the muddiest of Mud fans.
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17 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Famous for Tiger feet and Lonely this Christmas, 30 Mar 2005
Mud were very successful for a time in the mid-seventies, having about a dozen hits. Most of them made the UK top ten and three went all the way to the top, these being Tiger feet (their biggest hit), Lonely this Christmas (the song they are now perhaps best known for) and Oh boy (a cover of Buddy Holly's classic song). Other great hits to be found here include The cat crept in, Dynamite. Rocket, Moonshine Sally and The secrets that you keep. This compilation is limited to their RAK recordings up to 1975 so their last three UK top ten hits are missing. Of the other tracks, there are a few covers that show their musical roots, including One night (Elvis Presley), In the mood (Glenn Miller), Do you love me (first recorded by the Contours, it later became a British number one hit for Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and an American number one hit for the Dave Clark Five) and a Bill Haley medley, Shake rattle and roll / See you later alligator. This provides a fine introduction to the music of Mud, a group that knew how to have fun but whose music stands the test of time.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The elusive 'B' sides, 29 Feb 2008
I bought this album as having recently met a member of Mud I thought it was time to have a listen to some of those songs I used to enjoy in my youth. I bought all of Mud's singles (and still ahev them in fact) and used to listen to both the 'A' and 'B' sides, often playing the 'B' more than the 'A', so this CD was ideal for me. I have really enjoyed listening to the tracks again. Now they are digital and I have more appreciation for the music it is interesting to hear the sound so much more clearly. Some of the 'B' sides were not as well produced as the 'A' sides and double tracking has not sometimes worked with the vocals as it was possibly meant to, a good example being 'Morning'. However, it all sounds so fresh. It is ironic that we still hear a lot of Mud's music around today. There is still a band called 'Mud' playing live gigs although the original line up are not represented any more, but they play the original music plus new songs. This is a great album if you have not heard the 'B' sides as they have not been released on CD before, so they will be fresh as they are quite different to the 'A' sides is style, as many were penned by the band as opposed to Chinn & Chapmann. If you enjoyed Mud in the 70's when they were with RAK & Mickey Most, you will enjoy this nostalgic walk back through time with some 'new' tracks thrown in for good measure (if you did not listen to 'B' sides, that is.
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