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A1 Best of British Pop Music

jon_harrison | 06/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A1 are quite simply the best british pop act to come out of the UK for a long time. What differetiates them from other boybands is that they write 90% of their own songs, play their own instuments and don't mime on stage! And if you think playing intruments means dodgy guitar twanging, think again. 'The A List' contains an inresistable blend of infectious pop and ballards, with two UK number ones (Take One Me and Same Old Brand New You). A1 are currently in America touring, so look out for them near you. This album is certainly for you if you like pop music, and even if you don't, the sound is edgy and and almost R&B like in some songs (I Wonder Why, Nothing But Trouble) to appeal to a wider range of audiences, and differentiates the band from the usual cheesy pop of Backstreet Boys and NSync. Even the ballards are stunning, with the excelent voices of the band easily carrying off an area of pop which can easily fall into the cheesy category.This album is a must-buy, and look out for their new album 'Make it Good' in the US shops soon!"

Take a chance on A1

carl2275@go.com | Canada | 06/23/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I mean, sure they're a U.K. boyband, and there are hundreds of those, but A1 are great and get this, they actually write their own songs and play instruments,of course they have thoseannoying dance routines, but what can we do. The first song I heard of them is Take On Me, a cover of te well-known A-Ha song which instantly got my attention because I loved it and the second single I heard is No More which is equally great. I don't really like commercial pop, although that's what I usually buy. But when I saw the video for Pop by 'N Sync, it became clear to me that pop is very commercial these days and so I stopped liking that group. I think american pop bands aren't as good as the ones from abroad, and A1 are the greatest boyband out of the UK (with BB Mak of course) since, well, The Beatles. If you like pop and are searching, like me, for something that matters in a world where pop is so commercial, it's not even funny, please buy A1's CD, The A List because they are not so shallow."

Watch Out, NSYNC...!

Thnairg | Oregon, USA | 08/26/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This seemingly non-descript little pop CD from British boyband A1 didn't have much of an effect on me at first -- in fact, I was close to dismissing it as a pale imitation of NSYNC's "No Strings Attached" -- until it suddenly and unexpectedly grew on me.The album starts off with the excellent cover of A-Ha's "Take On Me". Then come the superb "Same Old Brand New You" (the album's biggest hit single, and for good reason) and the equally great "No More" -- which could be called cheap knock-offs of NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me", if only they weren't so darn good! Other highlights of this album include the hauntingly beautiful "She Doesn't See Me", the nicely-done ballad "One More Try", as well as the upbeat Latin-flavored number "Celebrate Our Love". And next time you're looking for songs for a Halloween party, "Scared" will fit right in.If you like NSYNC's "No Strings Attached" and/or Backstreet Boys' "Millennium", go ahead and give this CD a try -- you won't be disappointed!"