Search - James :: Fresh As a Daisy: The Singles

Worth it for the first five tracks alone . . .

aliled | Shawnee, Kansas United States | 09/30/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's greatest merit is (finally!) the enclusion of all five tracks from the first two James singles (also collected previously on the vinyl-only "Village Fire" EP.) To me, these tracks ("What's The World," "Folklore," "Fire So Close" (different from the "Stutter version), "If Things Were Perfect" and "Hymn From A Village") were never bettered by the band, and aside from a couple of the cropping up on compilations, they've been lacking on CD until now. Their experimental folksy sound, the brilliance of the lyrics, the perfect production . . . ahhh! Though James knocked a few tunes out of the ballpark with each album, this small string of perfection remains one of the more amazing points of mid-80s pop.



Sadly, the mastering is really awful. It's mastered so loudly that distortion is present from the first few seconds; a bitter disappointment, which decimates much of the fragile charms of these songs. A star off for that.



Aside from that, there are some tougher to find tracks here - the a-side of the third single "Chainmail" being a favorite, and all the a-sides from start to finish. It's a nice collection, though liner notes or something more than a few memories from the band members would have been nice. This is also available as a single CD, with a different track selection."

James Goodness

aimforthestars | UK | 12/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been enjoying music by James since my student days when I first heard the classic tracks "What For" and "Ya Ho" from the Srip-mine album. Back then Gold Mother had been released, followed up two years later by Seven. Both are great albums, imo, and this 2-disc Singles album gets the top tunes from each along with other well known James tracks and some tunes that aren't so well known. What you get as always are lyrics that question life, government, the human condition and the unique James sound and voice of Tim Booth. Recommended for James fans, and those who may be interested in hearing more of the band than just the big hits."

I agree

Greg Crighton | Johannesburg, South Africa | 08/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Have to agree with the review saying that this is a superb collection but it is ridiculously overpriced. The solution: wait a bit and buy a second-hand one from Amazon, they are listed already at around 13 bucks."