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45 Rpm: The Singles [Limited Edition Bonus Disc]
The The
45 Rpm: The Singles [Limited Edition Bonus Disc]
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (8) - Disc #2

Like Steely Dan, The The wasn't so much a band as a personal musical conceit/alter ego, this one for English writer-performer Matt Johnson. While Johnson's "band" came of age during the English synth pop boom of the early ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: The The
Title: 45 Rpm: The Singles [Limited Edition Bonus Disc]
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Release Date: 5/21/2002
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
Style:
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 696998661127

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Like Steely Dan, The The wasn't so much a band as a personal musical conceit/alter ego, this one for English writer-performer Matt Johnson. While Johnson's "band" came of age during the English synth pop boom of the early ?80s, electricity was about the only common denominator between Johnson and his fashion slave contemporaries. Indeed, the sense of conscientious outrage that informs many of the two decades worth of singles collected here fostered a perception of Johnson as something of a prickly malcontent. But fashion was never an end in itself for Johnson, even on early pop fare like "Uncertain Smile" and "Perfect." Johnson's restless creative bent has led him to remix many of these tracks anew, ensuring that this set would never be seen as mere artistic obituary. Johnson's reputation as a socio-political crank reached its zenith on tracks like "Heartland" (which decries the reverse cultural colonization of Britain by America) and "Armageddon Days" (a shotgun blast at pan-religious hypocrisy, here introduced by a hilarious parody of the Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz": "Are you ready Jesus? Yeah! / Budda? Uh-huh."), but subsequent history has only proven him sagacious. Pity that Johnson's "Armageddon" lineup was short-lived: The The was a real band in ?89, with Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr adding his signature sound to "The Beat(en) Generation" as well. And if anyone thought they had Johnson pegged, his acclaimed 1995 Hank Williams tribute, Hanky Panky (represented here by a riveting reinvention of the country legend's "I Saw the Light"), surely set them scratching their heads again. The set is rounded out by three strong new tracks ("Decembersunlight (Cried Out)," a duet with Liz Horsman; "Pillar Box Red"; and "Deep Down Truth," a duet with Wild Colonial Angela McCluskey). The limited-edition two-disc set also includes a bonus disc of eight 12" club mixes previously unreleased in the U.S. on CD. --Jerry McCulley

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CD Reviews

Pillar Box Red is worth the Purchase
Daniel A. Bogosian | New York | 01/03/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"That song, previously unreleased and only on the $40 Box set besides this.



Also, make sure you get the limited edition release with the second disc of remixes. Some of the remixes are even better than the originals.



I strongly recommend this, and Mind Bomb, and Dusk. That should satiate you if you are a new The The fan or you want the best and aren't a audiophile completist. Enjoy!

"
Even Zen Buddhists Have To Earn A Living
Original Mixed Up-Kid | New York United States | 06/12/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I hear a large American company using The The as their soundscape on a TV commercial an earlier reaction would have been these artists are selling out...I guess I am just getting old...even Matt deserves a break and right livelihood...This compilation is fine and the existential angst conveyed is pretty unique..a lot of his music is killer, his whole approach is sincere and I could say serious but sincere works...I have been waiting for tomorrow all my life..This Is The Day, Perfect...read Alan Watts THIS IS IT, The Wisdom Of Insecurity and The Book for intellectual background. It would not surprise me if Matt Johnson did."