Torn between being a Greatest Hits and a "Rarities and Remix
Daniel W. Kelly | Long Island, NY United States | 01/20/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"With a label having recently re-released Samantha's 80s output in deluxe editions with dozens of remixes and b-sides, this collection seems to try to fill in the blanks, but still falls short by leaving out some important tracks and giving us some repeats of stuff already on the reissues--although, the personal short liner notes for each individual song by Samantha are a treat.
CD 1 is mostly `the hits', meaning, numerous singles from her albums, in radio edit form, and not just from her 86, 87, 89 and 91 albums. We get tracks from 95, 97, 05, and new tracks from 09. Santa Maria, a single from 97, is here in its radio edit--but on disc two in its 12" version! Did we really need both lengths of the same song? Same goes for the new sleazesisters mix of Touch Me--which is on disc 2 in its full length!
CD 2 is the real gem for collectors and the reason the disc gets 5 stars. The club mixes of Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now and I Only Wanna Be With You were not only NOT Samantha's biggest hits but also both available on the recent reissues of her CDs, so the space is wasted with these. The grand gems are the two Stock Aitken Waterman rarities. You Started Something was only in a single version on her album, so this full SAW club mix is great (even though it's less than 6 minutes long). The Stock Aitken Waterman track Too Late to Say Goodbye never made it to any of her albums, so this is super rare, and featured in its 12" version here (again, less than 6 minutes). This song was a single for Jason Donovan, with a slightly happier, upbeat feel. Next, the Italian Underground Radio version of 1995's Go for the Heart combines the sounds of the Real McCoy, Rozalla, and Robins S. Another Woman is a downtempo bore. Santa Maria is from 1997, and sounds like something Gina G would have recorded back then. I Wanna Rock and Roll all Night is a cover of the Kiss classic--really generic karaoke cover. To Be Heard, a 2005 song, is a mellow electro rock track. Good stuff. Dreams Unfold is a 2005 ballad--MAJOR ballad. Don't Cheat On Me is an old b-side that was also on the recent reissues, so wastes more space here. The new track Tomorrow is presented in a big room club mix with a hard electro feel, running over 6 minutes. And finally, the 6 minute version of Touch Me in its new Sleazesisters club mix is a pretty generic updated house mix.
I don't really see a casual fan spending the extra bux on 2-discs when there's a single disc version of this and many other Samantha greatest hits compilations, so it seems pointless to have given us this double disc version instead of simply a double disc version of ALL rarities, since the people buying this disc are most LIKELY to be those looking for just the rarities because they already have the albums. And if you really want to get into Samantha Fox rarities on CD, what should have been here is the original extended mix of Touch Me, which has never made it on to CD, always being ignored for the horrible "Blue Mix." And you want to talk MEGA-rare, what should have been finally brought into the digital age are the pre-Touch Me singles "Rockin With My Radio" and its b-side "My Old Man" from 1983 (recorded as by S.F.X.), and the 1986 single only "Aim to Win" and its b-side "Holding."
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WHAT FUN!
D. FOXWORTH | TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN United States | 01/15/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ms. Fox has always been kind of an underdog in my opinion. After three very successful albums, her other work just never received the full attention it deserved. Especially 21st Century Fox (a jewel!) and Angel With An Attitude (another jewel!).
This new Greatest Hits (buy the 2 CD version!) is worth every penny. There are some real gems here. Especially Santa Maria and the new Tomorrow with Marc Mysterio. They are so much fun! The remixes included are worth the price of the CDs alone. In addition to being a gorgeous woman, Sam has an incredible voice which is really highlighted on Tomorrow! I hope this will soon be included on a new CD of new material! One can always hope!
You will not be sorry in the least when you buy this! Enjoy!"
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1