The Best of The Beta Band Music (Live Album) (2005)

The Beta Band fue un grupo que lo tenía todo para triunfar pero al final acabaron como muchos grupos: en el olvido.
Este album ,que es el disco extra de su recopilatorio,capta toda la energía de un directo de The Beta Band y todo su potencial como banda.Esto nunca lo lograron en sus discos de estudio, lo que en parte explica su mala suerte.
No soy muy amigo de los discos en directo porque suelen estar demasiado producidos y no reflejan la realidad.Pero los que hemos tenido suerte de ver un directo de este grupo podemos asegurar que incluso se queda corto.

Allmusic.com:"A somewhat peculiar way to send off a very peculiar band, The Best of the Beta Band is a two-disc compilation (priced as a single) intended for newcomers and collectors alike, with disc one a best-of and disc two a recording of one of the last gigs. Any Betas fan is bound to have at least one problem with the selection of tracks on the first disc. That's to be expected. One notion that nearly every fan will agree on, however, is that each of the band's albums has its own identity and would be better off left, and therefore experienced, intact. (The real nuts griped when the first three EPs were simply bound together.) You do want the albums, from front to back, with all the exposed seams and strokes of genius tied together, as they were intended to be heard. But this is a fine point of entry, containing the five proper singles and most of the other best-known moments, including a lumbering anthem that crosses Primal Scream's "Loaded" with Harvest folk rocker Michael Chapman's "It Didn't Work Out" ("Dry the Rain"), a bewildering epic (that tries not to be an epic) with incidental orchestral sweeps ("It's Not Too Beautiful"), and a gorgeously spare ballad that might or might not be about an alien who lost his memory and fell in love after wrecking his spacecraft ("Gone"). After a jovial "Good evening, London -- how the f*ck are you?" the live disc rolls through nine of the 16 songs heard on the best-of, in addition to "Dr. Baker," "Quiet," "Dog's Got a Bone," and a riotous "House Song." Since the crowd knows about the planned breakup, it's very appreciative, and the Betas make a convincing case for being considered a live band as much as a studio band. The booklet is a gas, containing a series of graphic jokes where you would normally see a career summary involving phrases like "criminally underrated," "wildly influential," and "critically acclaimed but commercially underappreciated." by Andy Kellman

808 State - Ex:El (1991)

Para mi ,el mejor disco de estos pioneros de la música electrónica mancuniana.En este trabajo se produjo la primera colaboración entre Björk y Graham Massey,el líder de la banda, que posteriormente produciría el "Debut" de la islandesa.
En archivo para la descarga contiene la edición americana,en la que se encuentra una brutal remezcla de "Cubik",en lugar de la original.

Según Allmusic.com: "Capturing 808 State at their absolute best, none of their subsequent albums quite matched Ex:El's perfect blend of art, mass appeal, and zeitgeist (one of the most common vocal samples in techno, Willy Wonka's "We are the music makers," made its first major appearance here). A major change here from past releases is the increasing variety and power of the State's percussion: beats are heavier and more staggered, embracing earlier flirtations with hip-hop and industrial music with even greater success, as heard on heavy duty groovers like "Leo, Leo." A sign of how influential Ex:El ended up being can be seen in how one of the commonest clichés of U.K. techno albums -- the guest appearance of a noted indie/alternative rocker on a track or two -- got its start from the cameo vocals here. Fellow Mancunian dance pioneer Bernard Sumner of New Order sings one of his patented gentle ruminations over "Spanish Heart," a nice piano-led number with a solid backbeat. Meanwhile, even more notably, the Sugarcubes' Björk lends her swooping singing to the lower-key but still active "Qmart" and the dramatic, flamenco-tinged "Ooops," establishing a partnership with the State's Graham Massey that would result in his working on many of her solo projects. Add to all this two of the best techno singles from the early '90s -- "In Yer Face," a subtly politicized anti-American slammer, and the almighty "Cubik" (in America replaced by an astonishing remix of the same song, the original having appeared on Utd. State 90) -- and Ex:El stands out all the more strongly. A true masterpiece". By Ned Raggett

The Soup Dragons - Hotwired (1992)

Después de Lovegod (1990),The Soup Dagons se lanzaron a la conquista del mercado americano(la portada les delata).Hotwired no está tan conseguido como el album anterior pero tiene un puñado de buenos temas como "Divine Thing" o el genial "Getting Down". Así inauguro este blog ...

Según Allmusic.com:
<< Hotwired is where the Soup Dragons reached equilibrium -- the happy medium between the slick breakbeats and guitar-based rock & roll. Throughout most of the album, the songs are among the strongest of the band's career and sonically the album is near perfect; fans of dance alternative will love singles like "Pleasure" and "Divine Thing" (both moderate hits in the U.S.) and rock fans will appreciate the crisp but not sterile instrumentation. There are many great production flourishes -- like the "gospel choir"-like background vocals and fun sound effects -- sprinkled throughout the disc. In fact, "Hotwired" is worth listening to for the chugging guitars on the fabulous "Getting Down" alone. For fans of this genre or fans of Brit-pop or even power pop in general, this is the place to start.>> by Jason Damas