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The Beta Band - The Best of the Beta Band Audio CD

A fair review of the The Beta Band "The Best of the Beta Band" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Beta Band reviews here, or go back to the The Beta Band tabs.

The Beta Band Band: The Beta Band
Title: The Best of the Beta Band
Rating:
Release Date: 2005-10-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Dry The Rain 2: Inner Meet Me 3: She's The One 4: Dr. Baker 5: It's Not Too Beautiful 6: Smiling 7: To You Alone 8: Squares 9: Human Being 10: Gone 11: Broke 12: Assessment 13: Easy 14: Wonderful 15: Troubles 16: Simple 17: It's Not Too Beautiful - Live 11/29/04 18: Squares - Live 11/29/04 19: Inner Meet Me - Live 11/29/04 20: Simple - Live 11/29/04 21: She's The One - Live 11/29/04 22: Easy - Live 11/29/04 23: Dr. Baker - Live 11/29/04 24: Dry The Rain - Live 11/29/04 25: Quiet - Live 11/29/04 26: Broke - Live 11/29/04 27: Assessment - Live 11/29/04 28: Dog's Got A Bone - Live 11/29/04 29: House Song - Live 11/29/04

A great send-off for this great band...worth it for the 2nd disc alone!
In that time, they released the excellent Three EPs album, the difficult self-titled album, and their two masterpieces, Hot Shots II and Heroes to Zeroes. The Beta Band were an experimental rock band from Scotland that disbanded in 2004 after about 10 years together. So why the greatest hits? And why am I rating it 5 stars?

First of all, for the uninitiated, this would be a great start to try and get into the Beta Band's melodic, textured, swirling and downright unclassifiable brand of music. Tracks from all 4 albums are on here so this would be a great sampler. Then you should move on to buying all 4 of their albums.

For the already initiated fans (such as myself), besides being a nice send-off, the 2nd disc is a live set recorded on their farewell tour. And it's a revelation. As someone who has seen the Beta Band live, I can personally attest to the fact that the songs have completely different characters when performed on stage. Still great but they take on a life of their own. And this live set shows that off and is all the better for it. From a song like Dr. Baker, which sounds completely different here, to the dual drum kit duet/duel of Broke (seeing this done live is AWESOME), live Beta Band is a different beast. . . and one that will be sorely missed.

In all, this is a great set for the new fan or the established one. And a fitting send-off for a band that will be sorely missed, no matter how much out of the mainstream they were during their all to brief career.


beta band strikes again (under the radar)
their music is melodic, hypnotic and creative yet couldn't sell enough product to maintain status in the abysmal corporate insult known as "the music industry. here is an original band that defies description. " a colossal disappointment. i'll miss them. at least we have a few documents of their inventive pop. this is one of the best. a good place to start, or even if you have them all (like i do), an even better place to finish. hey guys, if you ever get the urge/opportunity to make another recording, get brian eno to produce. sonically (the way you layer/sculpt music) you guys have a lot in common. thanks for all the fabulous songs. miss you. look forward to "the return of the beta band!".


Betas go bye bye
Song selections are okay. I suppose a Beta Band greatest hits package was inevitable. . . pretty much everything you need to hear by the Betas is included.

In retrospect, what kept these guys from becoming HUGE, and ultimately leading to their breaking up, was an inability to write memorable songs with melodies. At the end of their run, the electronic noodling produced by the Betas sounded like Depeche Mode leftovers. Can anyone hum just one Beta Band song?

The Three EPs remains the definitive Beta Band purchase. .


Alpha Band...
. . should be their name: Top notch, truly 21st Century band that has broken hearts around the globe since their breakup. Alas, this disc is of course a best of hits/swan song production, and while I would change maybe a song or two here or there with a different "favorite" of mine, it's basically a flawless disc and a very good selection of their collective genius. This is hardly a matter or gripe seeing as how one of the greatest things about The Beta Band is their depth of writing/composition/emotion so as to render a new favorite almost weekly. Truly epic stuff here. The live disc only holds a couple of different songs than the first "best of" disc, but that hardly matters; the live versions are different enough from the studio versions(if you have been lucky enough to see them live you know what I speak of). The production quality of the live disc is top notch as well. Kudos.

God I wish they would come back. At least we have some more of Steve Mason's new solo stuff -King Biscuit Time- coming soon. . . .

Long live The Beta Band!.


The last word from The Beta Band


If you don't own any Beta Band cd's then this is the one to go for. Okay, I'm biased - the lead singer is my cousin - but this is a great collection of tunes that have influenced several bigger name UK bands - Oasis and Radiohead to name just two. If you already own some of their stuff, then get this one for the 2nd cd that has the live set from the farewell tour. At last, a recording of them playing live!

Top stuff.


You can see a complete list of all The Beta Band discography, or go back to the The Beta Band tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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