Audio CD review:
Violent Femmes - Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes - Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes

Band: Violent Femmes Title: Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes Rating: Release Date: 2005-07-12 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Gimme the Car 2: Blister in the Sun 3: Gone Daddy Gone/I Just Want To Make Love To You 4: Kiss Off 5: Add It Up 6: Black Girls 7: Jesus Walking on the Water 8: Children of the Revolution 9: I Held Her In My Arms 10: Nightmares 11: American Music 12: Breakin' Up 13: Color Me Once 14: I Danced 15: Country Death Song (Live, 1998) 16: Freak Magnet

They Still Can't get It Right It's so annoying when a band who you really love (they were one of my first concerts) puts together a greatest hits package and_it seems intentionally_omits some of the songs you really enjoy and/or hold to be sacred. Okay, so they're trying to do a proper "Best of" for the Femmes again, and for the third time (counting one import-only) they still can't get it right. On Add It Up, their first GH, they somehow found the space to include an answering machine message and the mediocre rant I Hate the TV, but omitted their cover of Children of the Revolution and the wonderful Nightmares. Now, Permanent Record thankfully restores those two, but only gives us 16 songs to AIU's 21(!!) and drops several significant tracks, including the frat party favorite Dance, MF, Dance, the bouncy Out the Window, and the great politically charged Old Mother Reagan (It's only about a minute and a half long, people, you can't tell me there wasn't room!) in favor of their later, lesser work on New Times and Freak Magnet. The good thing about this version is the inclusion of the extended Gone Daddy Gone/I Just Want to Make Love to You jam that shows the Femmes' roots were in acoustic blues as well as punk the way Jesus Walking on the Water exposed their folkie leanings. Maybe someday we'll get the great Violent Femmes anthology that's just waiting out there to be released, but until then, I guess it's back to iTunes for me. Only a fan would love it... Having only really heard Violent Femmes' more radio-friendly tracks such as Blister in the Sun, American Music and Children of the Revolution, the rest of the album was a completely new experience for me. Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes If you're into edgy, indie rock with raw, sometimes shocking lyrics then Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes is for you. And a bit of a shocker at that. From the lusty Gimme the car, which is all about a teenager begging his dad to give lend him a car so he can take his girl out, then goes on to describe exactly what he will do to said girl, in detail, and what she will do to him. And I'm not talking about an innocent trip to the drive-in here. Then there are the usual angst-ridden tracks about being young and broke, as well as the extremely politically-incorrect track Black Girls, which would probably have resulted in a few disillusioned white groupies. This is clearly an album for fans of the group which have been around, underground, for a very long time. If you're not such a big fan, I'd give it a miss. . About as good as it could be. The first five tracks here are from that album, and are well chosen. There are some who would call their self-titled album their "best of", and while it is a great album, this is a good collection too. Then a couple from "Hallowed Ground", and a couple from "Blind Leading The Naked". From "3" we get only "Nightmares". I personally love that album and still think it's underrated. Toss on "American Music", "Color Me Once" from "The Crow" soundtrack, and a few more of their later songs and this is a fine overview of the Violent Femmes career. If this also included "Prove My Love" and "World We're Living In" I'd have no complaints. Still, this is most of the best. . Not for young ears ! Great energy ! It was a great way to introduce my fiance to this group. Everything I expected with an additional shock here and there. Right up his alley. You can see a complete list of all Violent Femmes discography, or go back to the Violent Femmes tabs