Search - Placebo :: Placebo

Well worth the extra money for Placebo fans

Chris Howard | Metairie, LA USA | 01/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a fan of Placebo, this is a must have reissue of their debut album. Placebo's first album is in my opinion one of the best modern rock albums out there. The songs are raw yet melodic, lyrics are fun, and the music is just all around great. Slackerbitch was always one of my favorite b-sides of theirs and is now available on cd here along with a few other b-sides. In addition to all that, you get a bonus dvd that has a few of Placebo's amazing videos on it, plus some killer live performances. I've seen them live, and concerts don't get much better than that. They're one of the few bands that sound just as good (if not sometimes better)live as in the studio. See my other reviews for a review of their video collection on DVD. Like I said, if you're debating whether or not to buy this, buy it! It's worth the money."

Amazing record

alexander laurence | Los Angeles, CA | 05/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Placebo is one of the last bands of the Britpop Era (1994-1996). Most of these bands are ten years older and most of them have put out "Best Of" collection in the past few years. This period of music has continued to be popular. Some of the British bands that have stuck together over the years have benefited from the wider audience (especially in America). Now we still have Supergrass and Placebo still very big. Jarvis Cocker has come out with a record. Damon Albarn has a few side projects up his sleeve. This album was originally released on some small label in America. So most Americans only got into Placebo on the second album, when they toured more heavily over here. This disc documents the early days of the band. The original album is here plus some famous b-sides like "Slackerbitch." This first album holds up really well. Some of the early songs like "Come Home" and "Teenage Angst" explore musical ideas that would be developed on subsequent albums. Guitars with alternate tunings and two-chord jams are all through this album. "Hang On To Your IQ" is like an early version of "Without You I'm Nothing." Some of the early singles like "36 Degrees" and "Bruise Pristine" have a lot of energy and are fresh. Their biggest early single "Nancy Boy" was like a red herring. They would rarely play this song in concert after 1997. The DVD that comes along with this includes all four album videos, plus some TV and concert footage. Some of the stuff from Big Breakfast and Top of The Pops is pretty funny. "36 Degrees" at the recent Wembley show is a new slow version. One of my favorites from the early days is "I Know." It's more acoustic and slower. They didn't really go into this direction much. They did touch on glam and new wave in the second album, dance and rap on the third, and electronic music on the fourth, and sort of a hodgepodge of everything on the latest one. They are sort of like a British version of Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. This is a good one."