The Hives--Your New Favourite Band
It seems pointless, but...
Packaging--
The good:
This is pretty simple packaging. A distorted photo of the band graces the cover. The booklet has lyrics, and info on where the songs are from.
The bad:
The packaging just looks a bit cheap to me. The lyrics are tiny�it would�ve been nice to expand a few more panels and make the lyrics bigger, perhaps and essay on why a young band needs a best of?
The music:
The good:
This gives you a good view of the band�s evolution from being a somewhat snotty sounding punk band to straight up rock and roll. If you aren�t familiar with these guys�they�re pretty much rock and roll, very 60s-70s oriented. You hear elements of the Rolling Stones and even some Detroit garage rock like MC5. The songs are catchy and the production is top notch.
The bad--
Can you, dear reader, explain why a band with two short albums and one EP needs a best of? Perhaps if the albums were not available in the US, but you can get them through Gearhead. I�m glad I didn�t buy the import version of this when I saw it a while back�I had assumed this must be a live album or at least different takes of the songs.
What would�ve been a better deal is have every b-side and maybe some live tracks instead of a best of. I have two fairly long bootlegs with all sorts of festival performances, covers, b-sides. Plenty to put on here.
The DVD
The good--
Okay, if you like The Hives and you're thinking "I have all this stuff, why should I bother?" The reason is THIS DVD. If they sold this DVD by itself I'd recommend it. Three music videos, two full (though short) live shows, and then a 25 minute behind the scenes/on the road film. One of the live shows was for MTv2, the other was a professionally shot Virgin Megastore performance but it looks like some sort of mall. Both have excellent sound quality and superb performances. The documentary has a few interviews/clips from the band talking, and then miscellaneous footage. It's nothing to get excited about, but it's entertaining enough.
If nothing else, it's amusing watching the singer as he certainly graduated from Mick Jagger's Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. You can almost hear Mick saying "now, strut, strut, spin and...rooster! OK, now everybody's naughty...and freeze finish."
The "Die, All Right" video is strange, but amusing.
The bad--
Nothing bad to say.
Recap�
If you are a fan, than the saving grace of this release is the DVD. That means do not buy an import, stick with the US version. If you are not a fan, on the fence, or one of those "I just like their singles" people, then this is a good place to start. It's a release you'll want anyway once you become a fan and it gives you a nice sampling of all their releases.
Review by Chris