ALL ABOUT EVE
Keepsakes
I’ve never quite understood why All About Eve were labelled as goths. Admittedly, they hung about with the Mission, Julianne Regan started off as a bass player in Gene Loves Jezebel, and guitarist Tim Bricheno eventually left and joined the Sisters Of Mercy; however, there’s very little in the actual music that you’d label as goth. This compilation spans their entire career over 2 CDs, and includes a DVD with all their videos,plus loads more TV appearances.
I will admit upfront that I’m a huge fan of All About Eve - spookily, the review copy of this set arrived in the same post as my own pre-ordered copy. Thankfully, this box set is aimed squarely at me – although I already own all the albums, about half the audio tracks are new to me, comprising b-sides, demos, live and reworked tracks.
The first dozen or so tracks cover the period around their first album, and what comes across immediately is how good a band they were from day one. Even the “new” old tracks, such as “Candy Tree”, “Paradise” and “Calling Your Name”, are superb, and you’re left wondering how tracks this good could be discarded – then you remember just how good the debut album was, and it becomes a bit clearer. During that period, the band clearly gelled as performers and songwriters, and it shines through in the sheer quality of the music from that time. “What Kind Of Fool” stands out, as the “Autumn Rhapsody” version included here is basically Regan against strings and piano, and sends a shiver down my spine.
The latter half of disc one moves on to the second album, “Scarlet and Other Stories”. Most bands struggle with the second album, and in this case they struggled more than most, as both the personal and musical relationship between Regan and Bricheno collapsed. While the songs themselves are perfectly OK, they don’t compare well to the debut album, and often seem overblown, being more style over content. Of the ones included here, a reworked version of “The Empty Dancehall” stands out, whereas the other tracks tend to just be the same as the album versions. Closing the first disc is an oddity – a 2006 version of “What Kind Of Fool”. It’s a radical reworking, with an industrial grungy backing and processed vocals, possibly in an attempt to sound more contemporary –however, it falls completely flat, especially compared to the earlier version on the same disc.
Disc two, new guitarist, and clearly a new outlook. Again, mainly album or single versions, but “Farewell Mr Sorrow” and “Strange Way” see a real return to form, with both tracks bouncing along. “Wishing The Hours Away” is another highlight here, which would have been a single had band and record label not parted company. Then another oddity, a cover (in demo form) of Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play”, however this one works very well, with All About Eve’s style matching surprisingly well with the original. This was a deliberate attempt by Regan to change the direction of the band, and this follows through to the tracks from the “Ultraviolet” period. “Phased”, “Freeze”, “Infrared” fit very well in early 90’s style, sounding more like shoe-gazing bands like Curve and Lush than the early tracks. However, the quality is still there in the musicianship. My only complaint here is in the production – the band made a conscious decision to tone down the vocals (as was the style in the 90’s) – however, when your singer is as good and powerful as Ms Regan, this is a waste, and I’d love to hear these re-done with more emphasis on the voice.
CD 2 closes with some new tracks, just to show that the story may not be complete. “Let Me Go Home” sounds like Evanescence – who I always thought sounded remarkably like All About Eve in any case. “Keepsakes” is a funny one – from the title, I expected another epic overproduced ballad, but it’s as heavy and uptempo as anything else here, and is actually one of the highlights of the album. Closer “Raindrops” is light and breezy, and a fine end to the album.
All in all, the 2 CD’s are well worth the asking price, however you also get a DVD covering all their promo videos and selected TV appearances. The videos are typical of 80’s videos, with too much hairspray and eye make-up (and that’s just the men), and mainly performance-based, entertaining enough but unremarkable. When the set arrived, I must admit that it was the DVD I put on first, but only because I was intrigued to see “Martha’s Harbour Top Of The Pops performance” – surely they wouldn’t have included that one (you know the one I mean!). But no, they hadn’t, instead you get the following week’s live performance.
Overall, this is an awesome collection of music and videos, for a fairly low price. For fans of the band, there’s easily enough to justify buying it, and for anyone wanting to discover the band for the first time properly, there’s no better introduction.
I will admit upfront that I’m a huge fan of All About Eve - spookily, the review copy of this set arrived in the same post as my own pre-ordered copy. Thankfully, this box set is aimed squarely at me – although I already own all the albums, about half the audio tracks are new to me, comprising b-sides, demos, live and reworked tracks.
The first dozen or so tracks cover the period around their first album, and what comes across immediately is how good a band they were from day one. Even the “new” old tracks, such as “Candy Tree”, “Paradise” and “Calling Your Name”, are superb, and you’re left wondering how tracks this good could be discarded – then you remember just how good the debut album was, and it becomes a bit clearer. During that period, the band clearly gelled as performers and songwriters, and it shines through in the sheer quality of the music from that time. “What Kind Of Fool” stands out, as the “Autumn Rhapsody” version included here is basically Regan against strings and piano, and sends a shiver down my spine.
The latter half of disc one moves on to the second album, “Scarlet and Other Stories”. Most bands struggle with the second album, and in this case they struggled more than most, as both the personal and musical relationship between Regan and Bricheno collapsed. While the songs themselves are perfectly OK, they don’t compare well to the debut album, and often seem overblown, being more style over content. Of the ones included here, a reworked version of “The Empty Dancehall” stands out, whereas the other tracks tend to just be the same as the album versions. Closing the first disc is an oddity – a 2006 version of “What Kind Of Fool”. It’s a radical reworking, with an industrial grungy backing and processed vocals, possibly in an attempt to sound more contemporary –however, it falls completely flat, especially compared to the earlier version on the same disc.
Disc two, new guitarist, and clearly a new outlook. Again, mainly album or single versions, but “Farewell Mr Sorrow” and “Strange Way” see a real return to form, with both tracks bouncing along. “Wishing The Hours Away” is another highlight here, which would have been a single had band and record label not parted company. Then another oddity, a cover (in demo form) of Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play”, however this one works very well, with All About Eve’s style matching surprisingly well with the original. This was a deliberate attempt by Regan to change the direction of the band, and this follows through to the tracks from the “Ultraviolet” period. “Phased”, “Freeze”, “Infrared” fit very well in early 90’s style, sounding more like shoe-gazing bands like Curve and Lush than the early tracks. However, the quality is still there in the musicianship. My only complaint here is in the production – the band made a conscious decision to tone down the vocals (as was the style in the 90’s) – however, when your singer is as good and powerful as Ms Regan, this is a waste, and I’d love to hear these re-done with more emphasis on the voice.
CD 2 closes with some new tracks, just to show that the story may not be complete. “Let Me Go Home” sounds like Evanescence – who I always thought sounded remarkably like All About Eve in any case. “Keepsakes” is a funny one – from the title, I expected another epic overproduced ballad, but it’s as heavy and uptempo as anything else here, and is actually one of the highlights of the album. Closer “Raindrops” is light and breezy, and a fine end to the album.
All in all, the 2 CD’s are well worth the asking price, however you also get a DVD covering all their promo videos and selected TV appearances. The videos are typical of 80’s videos, with too much hairspray and eye make-up (and that’s just the men), and mainly performance-based, entertaining enough but unremarkable. When the set arrived, I must admit that it was the DVD I put on first, but only because I was intrigued to see “Martha’s Harbour Top Of The Pops performance” – surely they wouldn’t have included that one (you know the one I mean!). But no, they hadn’t, instead you get the following week’s live performance.
Overall, this is an awesome collection of music and videos, for a fairly low price. For fans of the band, there’s easily enough to justify buying it, and for anyone wanting to discover the band for the first time properly, there’s no better introduction.
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