Unfortunate Canadians will recall boy band b4-4 (also known as Before Four). They were a trio, had two brothers in the group, made two albums and faded away quietly.
Courtesy of former store owner (now road manager for Steve Earle) Mike Lukacs, here’s a classic quote that shoulda been in Record Store Tales:
“Back in the record store days, some people came in the store looking for these guys’ CD. One of the dudes that worked for me asked them why they wanted such garbage. ‘They are our sons’ replied the people…”
In the spring and summer of 1999, Robbie Williams suddenly got big in Canada. Previously he was all but an unknown. That is until they compiled the best songs from his first two solo albums (Life Thru A Lense and I’ve Been Expecting You) onto one CD and called it The Ego Has Landed. This compilation went platinum in Canada, but before that I had never heard of Robbie Williams.
One of my staff guys Matty K started spinning The Ego Has Landed in-store. It actually grew on me quite quickly. I bought it and still own it today. I don’t play it often, but I have three major memories of this album that still stick with me:
1. Once I got into it, Matt and I would play this album almost every shift together. He’d pull his sweater up over his nose and imitate the cover. Then in horrible accent he’d recite the hidden poem at the end of the CD, “Hello Sir”. Good times!
2. When we first carried it, I wanted to find out who Robbie Williams was. I knew nothing about him, except that people were asking for the CD. I then discovered via the magical internets that he was ex-Take That. I knew who they were, at least. Also, Alex Dickson from Bruce Dickinson’s band was playing with him. I had no idea! I remember trying to tell one of my bosses these cool details, only to have them snap at me!
“Hey, did you know who this Robbie Williams is?” I asked.
“I don’t care!” they barked. “You’re carrying it, whether you like it or not!”
“I was just going to tell you that he used to be with Take That,” I responded sheepishly. Somebody needed to chill the fuck out. Bad times!
3. I’d been waiting patiently for a used copy to come in, so I could get it cheaper. I had a big cottage weekend coming up, and my friend Shannon was coming with me. I didn’t want to subject her to thrash metal in the car trip, and I really wanted Robbie for the journey. The weekend was fast approaching, so I decided to spend the money on a brand new copy. We had a great trip and a great weekend, but the following week, guess what came in used and much cheaper? The Ego Has Landed! Fuck me.
I was given a free copy of the followup album, Sing When You’re Winning, by Warren from Global Bass magazine. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it nearly as much as The Ego Has Landed. In fact I’ve never bought a Robbie album since!
With their triumphant return to the stage recently, it is only appropriate that today we revisit the 2008 Greatest Hits package by the ultimate boy band, New Kids on the Block.
This album, simply titled Greatest Hits, is a collection of the best of the best by the original Fab Five. Aside from the four bonus tracks, which we’ll talk about later, the album is chock full of smash hits waiting to be remembered. Starting with their trademark song “Step By Step”, it never lets up til the end. This is a breathtaking collection of songwriting prowess and vocal excellence. Truly, manager Maurice Starr had a talent for discovering stars.
This album is, in fact, a reissue of a 1999 edition, which only had 14 tracks. The new version has 18. It also omits a C + C Music Factory remix, and subs in “My Favourite Girl” instead, sung by Jordan Knight and Danny Wood, which is a better tune. There are a few other changes as well, but chances are, this album will do fine for you. If you really badly want to listen to their Christmas song all the time, it’s only on the 1999 edition). It has been taken off this release. Instead, you will get the hit single “Games”. This is presented in the much tougher “Kids Get Hard” remix.
You will already know the massive hits, “The Right Stuff”, “Cover Girl”, “Tonight”, “Hangin’ Tough”, and “Please Don’t Go Girl”. Most impressive is Jordan Knight’s lead vocal turn on the epic ballad, “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)”. Impressive pipes. Truly one of the great underrated vocalists of the 90’s. As a bit of a bonus, you’ll also get a song from 1994’s Face The Music LP, which suffered from lacklustre sales. This track shows the Kids (then known as NKOTB) taking a more modern turn, while sacrificing none of their sweet harmonies.
There are four bonus cuts on this disc. One is a “Mega Mix” that will work ideally for parties and dances. There are two songs from solo albums (Jordan’s and Joey’s), and Donnie’s sentimental duet with Seiko, “The Right Combination”.
Best of all, you even get a full size poster! This is perfect for wall or ceiling.
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