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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The perfect abridgement of his first nine albums, 25 May 2007
A two-disc chronological anthology of Frank Black's work covering the Pixies' front man's nine solo albums recorded during the title's time period, which includes a bonus CD of live tracks recorded during Black's 2006 North American tour, as well as a brand new Black Francis track, Threshold Apprehension, taken from his forthcoming album, Bluefinger.
Black's solo recordings always demonstrated artistic restlessness, as he embraced alternative pop and avant-garde rock with equal fervor. This was territory he explored further with his band, The Catholics, for several years before journeying to Nashville to create 2005's critically-acclaimed Honeycomb with producer Jon Tiven, before the similar, but more intense, Fast Man Raider Man in 2006.
As for the tracks, there is bound to be disagreement as to what are the essential tracks in a catalogue as vast as Black's, but by and large, 93-03 feels as right as it could ever be.
Los Angeles has lost none of the spacey, metallic bite it had when it introduced Frank Black as a solo performer to the world in 1993, and nor has the Stooges-esque Ten Percenter, also from Black's self-titled solo debut.
The straightforward saccharine melodies of I Want To Live On An Abstract Plain from Teenager Of The Year are still as sweet as they were over a decade ago. Black's most creative love song, Speedy Marie, (the first letter of each line in the song's second half spells out his girlfriend's name) is also included, as is the tightly written, strummy and wonderful Headache. The driving, anthemic Freedom Rock remains one of the Black's more ambitious tracks and Men In Black is still an interesting piece from the unfairly derided The Cult Of Ray.
All My Ghosts and I Gotta Move from the first Catholics album, offers a fix of straight-up garage punk, stripped of all the odd time signatures, subverted chord progressions, cryptic lyrics, and sonic experimentation that had previously been Black's trademarks. Western Star from Pistolero and Robert Onion from Dog In The Sand mark a return to the ambitious, subversive style with the latter a distant cousin to Freedom Rock.
The cryptically confessional California Bound from Black Letter Days also merits inclusion and the fun, easygoing vibe of Black's eighth album, Devil's Workshop, is exemplified by Velvety, a version of the Pixies' B-side Velvety Instrumental Version (and one of the first songs that Black ever wrote) with additional silly lyrics. Massif Central, from Show Me Your Tears, is conspicuous by the angry repetition of "please don't run away" among the bouncy and angular guitars.
Black himself admits to being sheepish when approached by the idea of releasing a greatest hits album, but 93-03 is a great place to start for those embarking on a journey through Black's post-Pixies career for the first time. In fact, far from a mere curiosity, the schizophrenic tracklist ensures it's the perfect abridgement of his first nine albums.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It could have been better, 15 Jun 2007
Perhaps it's testimony to the quality of his music but you could quite easily come up with at least another 22 tracks that would be better - but then it's all about personal taste. My ipod playlist of 30 Frank Black songs from this era only has 6 from this album. It's a great introduction but if you've not got any of his solo stuff go for Teenager, Frank Black & the Catholics or Black Letter Days - give them time to grow on you & then you'll find you'll be hooked.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good introduction, but not for those who own the albums., 4 Jul 2007
Frank Black is a difficult musician to pick a best of for, there are no standout singles to speak of, and he has that many good songs that everyone will have their own favourites.
However, this is not for the hardcore fans (who may get it purely for the second live disc and Threshold Apprehension), so as an introduction to new fans, the songs suit that purpose nicely. The only nag I have is that it only scratches the surface of what Frank Black's music has to offer.
I secretly wish that they included songs such as 'I Need Peace', 'Billy Radcliffe', '85 Weeks', 'Bullet', 'Black Letter Day', 'His Kingly Cave', 'Costline' or 'Horrible Day', but at least they will be waiting if anyone carries on their Frank Black collection.
The second live disc is a treat also as it doesn't repeat any of the songs from the first, though I wish it could have been longer.
Overall, it'd something I would definitely lend someone, or encourage them to buy as an introduction to The Man, and serve as a decent mix for if i'm riding in a car with a CD player. It would perhaps even for those who have one album or two and wish to hear a snippet of the various other albums he's released.
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