Audio CD review:
Nazz - Open Our Eyes: The Anthology

Nazz - Open Our Eyes: The Anthology

Band: Nazz Title: Open Our Eyes: The Anthology Rating: Release Date: 19 November, 2002 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Loosen Up 2: Open My Eyes 3: Hello It's Me 4: Crowded 5: If That's the Way You Feel 6: See What You Can Be 7: When I Get My Plane 8: Lemming Song 9: Wildwood Blues 10: Back of Your Mind 11: She's Going Down 12: Train Kept A-Rollin' 13: Kiddie Boy 14: Featherbedding Lover 15: How Can You Call That Beautiful 16: Kicks 17: Magic Me 18: Christopher Columbus 19: Under the Ice 20: Forget All About It 21: Meridian Leeward 22: Hang on Paul 23: Rain Rider 24: Not Wrong Long 25: Letter's Don't Count 26: Only One Winner 27: Gonna Cry Today 28: Beautiful Song 29: Some People 30: It's Not That Easy 31: Resolution 32: Plenty of Lovin' 33: Old Time Lovemaking 34: Take the Hand 35: You Are My Window

Customer Reviews Get Yer Nazz Here! It is, however, a very complete catalogue of the work proper that the Nazz did. "Open Our Eyes", the latest Nazz anthology really doesn't sport anything new, except for a cover of "Train Kept A-Rollin'". For sticklers this CD set will rankle, because the song orders for the original albums have been screwed up in favor of a more thematic approach. Generally the anthology is set up where the first CD is the hard-rocking side and the second one is the more cerebral one. As a result, most of the first album and some of the third takes up the first CD, whereas the bulk of the second and third albums comprise the second. This doesn't, however, prevent the best songs from opening the first disc! "Open My Eyes" was/is/and probably will always be one of the best songs that Todd Rundgren ever wrote. "Hello It's Me", the big single, follows, but fast forward a couple of songs and you get to Rundgren's pre-Something/Anything opus, the ethereal, string-driven "If That's The Way You Feel". This, along with "Forget All About It" and "A Beautiful Song" are the real reasons to buy this anthology-if you don't already have the Nazz on CD! For those who don't know, Rundgren would go on to have an immensely successful career as both artist and producer. As in the Nazz, his songs would straddle the fence between the human (the soulful ballads) and the absurd (his sometimes annoying obsession with technology and vaudeville). If you want a ground zero song for this dialectic, listen to the wonderfully whimsical Meridian Leeward. Also included in the anthology package are some good liner notes where Rundgren describes how the band came to be as well as some of the internal dynamics that were happening while the band was active. . Everything in one place...however... That can be found on the vinyl-only Best of Nazz (also from Rhino). If you've got the 3 albums on CD from Rhino, the only thing you're missing is the one bonus track Train kept a-Rollin'. The single album reissues did one thing this collection didn't do: it kept the tracks in their original running order, and that's how these albums sound best. Same versions as on original LP's "A Music Fan" wrote in his/her review: ". . . the version of "Only One Winner" on this collection is not the same as the one on Nazz III, so a completist would still have to buy that CD. The Nazz III version had Todd singing, the version on here is, as best as I can tell, the same as the version on "13th and Pine", with Stewkey singing. . . . " Not true. Stewkey sang the original version on "Nazz III"; the same version found on this Anthology CD. Stewkey does indeed sing lead on the "13th and Pine" version; but it's only a slightly different mix of the same song. Todd sings lead on the version found on the "Todd Sings" CD. [confused yet?? LOL] I've been a NAZZ fan since their beginning and would tell you that this CD is worth seeking out. Too bad the compilers didn't put the songs in the same order as they appeared on the original 3 LP's. . You can see a complete list of all Nazz discography, or go back to the Nazz tabs