"This beautifully packaged Greatest Hits single cd set is a 17 song career overview picked by none other than Tim Butler of the Furs. Contains all the Johnny Rotten com '80's Butler sneers and the classics one expects when using "Greatest Hits" as a title. Plus, a previously unreleased live version of "Only You and I" and interview w/Richard Butler & John Ashton. For the casual fan, newcomer or one in need of a quick fix - this is perfect. For the seasoned veteran, I'd suggest the in-depth 2 disc set, "Should God Forget. A Retrospective." "Greatest Hits is basically a shorter version of "Should God Forget (note same covers/different colors)."
A curious overview
tom Burleigh | 07/14/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"For a single CD compilation "Greatest Hits," this does little to freshen the band's previous greatest hits package, 1988s "All of this and Nothing." The classic Furs cuts are here, but for a survey of anything after 1988, this offers a poor compilation of what's best from "Book of Days" and "World Outside." Those curious about the Furs would do better to invest in the 1997 Sony/Legacy "Should God Forget." As close to a box set as your going to get,this 2-CD retrospective has all the essential Furs hits of "Greatest Hits," some great previously unreleased gems, and the decent cuts from the Furs most recent studio work. Rumor has it the band is in the studio recording a new album (6/01), and their recent US tour (2001) has Richard Butler in fine vocal form and appearing to enjoy being on the road again. Bandmates John Ashton and Tim Butler are a tight ensemble. Whatever CD you chose, the Furs have been an overlooked and underappreciated band of the 80s. Long live the Furs!"
Over-remastered
t7890 | 01/04/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"It's terrible when they take good music and "remaster" it, or remake it to sound like current commercial music. Electric noise, excessive bass/treble are emphasized here. Vocals and clarity are de-emphasized. It's a good collection of songs, but the remastering ruins it. Instead get the collection "All of This and Nothing"."
Nothing against the band but...
Dreamin' | Rock City, USA | 01/05/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I like the band but at this point they have more greatest hit packages and retrospectives than actual CD's... At this point it makes more sense to buy the original CD's.This is starting to get silly."
All That Money Wants
Frankland S. Strickland | Memphis, Tennessee | 02/11/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's a given that 2-disc compilations cost more than a single disc package, but The Psychedelic Furs are deserving of a double disc "hits" collection (***Note*** "Should God Forget" is a double set, but includes many live tracks, alternate takes, and lesser known tracks). If the executives at the helm felt this was too cost prohibitive, an alternative strategy the record label could have employed would be to release a single disc compliation for the casual listener and a more comprehensive double set for the more serious listener. This has been done before: see David Bowie's "Best of Bowie" for example.
Having said this, "Greatest Hits" does a decent job of covering some of the best from roughly 12 years of The Furs' offerings. Of course the obligatory hits like "Pretty in Pink" and "The Ghost in You" are included, but I was disappointed to see that nothing from "Book of Days" was found herein. Instead, the final Furs album, "World Outside," is given precendence. From "World Outside" are included "Sometimes," "Until She Comes," and "There's a World Outside." These are all great choices, but it sure would have been great to at least have "Should God Forget" from "Book of Days." This seems like a no brainer to me.
The previous hits package, 1989's "All of This and Nothing," featured the stellar "No Easy Street" as well as "Imitation of Christ","Highwire Days," "She is Mine," and the title track. All of these are sorely lacking from "Greatest Hits." "Greatest Hits," however, provides such gems as "Mr. Jones," "Here Come Cowboys," and "Heartbeat" that were dubiously left off of the former.
To sum it all up, "Greatest Hits" is a pretty decent collection of the band's finer moments, but it is by no means wholly representative. I'd recommend, of course, buying their entire collection, but I realize this takes time and money. I would suggest buying "All of This and Nothing" to complement "Greatest Hits," especially since it usually can be had for less than $5. There's no doubt that many of the tracks will be redundant, but each collection features several that the other lacks."