Search - Echo & Bunnymen :: Very Best Of: More Songs to Learn & Sing (W/Dvd)

An Excellent Package With A Few Flaws

Jason W. Bellenger | Byron Center, Michigan, USA | 02/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here's the DVD tracklisting, since Amazon does not list it:



01 The Cutter

02 The Killing Moon

03 Seven Seas

04 Bring On The Dancing Horses

05 The Game

06 Lips Like Sugar

07 Nothing Lasts Forever

08 Rust



As with most music that I purchase sound quality is usually most important. This release does not disappoint! In fact, this is simply the best remastering I've heard on a Bunnymen release! With mastering by Giovanni Scatola, these songs sound even better than the 2003/2004 Rhino remasters. The music is crisper, louder, and more punchy. ("Lips Like Sugar" sounds awesome with it's roaring intro!) That's not to say that those recent remasters weren't good, but I personally think that the music sounds brighter on this compilation.



Next up we have the excellent packaging and tracklisting. Some fans may complain about the release being presented in digipak format, but I quite like it. Plus, we have the classic cover photo by Anton Corbijn. For a 1-CD collection, the release highlights 20 Echo & The Bunnymen classics from 1980 to 2005! We could argue what should and what should have not been included, but for the casual fan this sums up their history quite well.



My major complaint with this release is the 8-track DVD. Considering the list price, I think the DVD should have featured much more than 8 tracks. Surely these guys have more than 8 videos! How about including all their music videos?!?! Considering how most record labels work, this will probably be our only chance to get their videos on DVD for several years to come. It's only a random sample of their career! I guess fans will be left "You-Tube"-ing the rest!



Note that the package states "all promo videos are stereo except track 2 in mono". What is track 2? "The Killing Moon"! Unfortunately, Rhino let me down here. Why include all videos in stereo except this one? Not that it really mattered, considering the original audio tracks seem to have been used on all the videos instead of overdubbing newly remastered audio. That's why "The Killing Moon" video sounds poor and flat, besides it being in mono!



The recent videos sound fine, but they are mastered at too low of volume. Sounds like laziness! Do an A/B comparison between "The Cutter" as heard on the DVD video and "The Cutter" as heard on the CD. It goes to show how well the music has been restored for the CD and how carelessly flat it was left for the DVD. As for the picture, it is surprisingly excellent, considering the age of some of the earlier promos. Too bad the same care couldn't have been given to the underlying audio track. I expect better work from the Rhino team!



As a casual fan myself, I must admit that I still really enjoy this best of, including the DVD (despite the faults). It's the first time I've seen many of these videos. Add in the excellent CD audio, and it's a worthy package to add to any Echo collection."

Long overdue

Brian Andersen | 02/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally we get an official video collection on DVD with this remaster of the 1985 release!



The original 1985 release of "Songs To Learn and Sing" was a must have for every college kid I knew back then. For some US fans this was the first album to expose them to the Bunnymen.



This expanded and remastered version picks up where the old one left off and then picks up again when they reformed with the UK Top 10 album "Evergreen" and continues to the 2006 release "Siberia".



My only complaint is that this is not in 5.1 surround sound."