Ain't Love Grand!

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Expanded & remastered reissue of 1985 album with 4 bonus recordings 'Wild Thing' (long version), 'I Will Dare' (demo - previously unissued), 'My Goodness' (demo - previously unissued) & 'All Or Nothing'. Also includes a 20 page booklet with commentary by X. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Burning House Of Love
Love Shack
My Soul Cries Your Name
My Goodness
Around My Heart
What's Wrong With Me...
Watch The Sun Go Down
I'll Stand Up For You
Little Honey
Supercharged
Wild Thing (Long Version) (Bonus Track)
I Will Dare (Demo) (Bonus Track)
My Goodness (Demo) (Bonus Track)
All Or Nothing

Album Description

Expanded & remastered reissue of 1985 album with 4 bonus recordings 'Wild Thing' (long version), 'I Will Dare' (demo - previously unissued), 'My Goodness' (demo - previously unissued) & 'All Or Nothing'. Also includes a 20 page booklet with commentary by X.

Customer Reviews:

Still Annoying After All These Years.......2007-07-04

I can still remember listening to this album for the first time. It might seem stupid, but I honestly felt betrayed. Then depressed. Then annoyed. Maybe all at the same time. I don't know. I love X, I always will, but Ain't Love Grand wasn't the X I loved. It's been at least fifteen years since the last time I listened to this album all the way though - most of my other X stuff has worn out and I've been replacing it - so naturally my thoughts turned to Ain't Love Grand. I think "Gee, it's been a long time since I listened to it, maybe it wasn't all that bad." But, you know, even after all these years, the album still has the power to annoy. The band is buried under the production. I've always loved Exexe's voice, even before she could really sing, but on at least two tracks here - "Burning House of Love" and "Around My Heart" - Mr. Wagener has reduced her to studio vapor; a kind of heavenly one woman choir bouncing off the walls. Hearing something like that makes me so mad I want to spit. I think I did when I first heard it. What kills me is that a lot of these songs are good songs and with a different producer the album probably would have worked. "My Goodness," "What's Wrong With Me" and "Little Honey" are standouts regardless. That's basically what the two stars are for. And some of these songs can be heard much better elsewhere. "Love Shack" shows up on Poor Little Critter On The Road. A few more turn up on Live at the Whisky and Unclogged, far more listenible than the Ain't Love Grand versions. Anyway, enough already. And by the way, I'm not one of those guys who think X put out four great albums and then quit. I loved See How We Are and Hey,Zeus!

an all time classic.......2007-02-23

This album is up there with Fleetwood Mac Rumours for the all time break up album. I recently re listened to this and could not believe the pain and chaos contained within this album. DJ and Billy are there ripping out songs, , while John and Exene are baring their souls, dealing with their break up of everything. The band was supposed to be something huge, but was just disappoointing the naysayers. They were being criticized, bad talked publically, they were dissolving, falling apart internally. And they somehow manage to finish this album. Oh my god it is incredible. "Watch the sun go down" is so sad. It's like they are realizing X as we knew it was over, and no body wants it to end. But we all need to grow up some day. Wow. Listen to this album again. It will be the greatest of X albums when history finally makes it judgment of one of our favorite bands of the eighties. Incredible.

WHAT THE HELL!?.......2005-12-29

I hate people that say stuff like "well, real X fans" or "the real X fans." However, I am going to have to say it, the real X fans know that this album SUCKS! It is so over-produced, so pop-heavy, so....awful. The absence of Ray Manzarek is painfully obvious. Look, I saw X numerous times, I own all of their CDs and still worship them. However, this CD does not make the rotation, because it is crap. And I am not saying that all albums suck after the the first four classics. "See How We Are" is very good. So, if you feel I am betraying X by bashing this CD, so be it.

X BUT'S THE X IN THE BURNING HOUSE OF LOVE.......2005-11-17

OH, MAN i REMEMBER THIS SONG WHEN IT CAME OUT ON THE RADIO IN THE MID- 1980'S BURNING HOUSE OF LOVE IS A EXCELLENT SONG FROM A BAND I REALLY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, I HAVE HEARD OF THIS BAND X BUT THE MUSIC I REALLY NEVER GOT TO KNOW ON A LARGE SCALE BECAUSE I WAS INTO THE TECHNO MUSIC AND HEAVY METAL AND HARD ROCK. AND I STILL AM. WHICH WILL ALWAYS BE MY PASSIONS. WHEN I SAW THE VIDEO TO THIS SONG I REMEMBERED IT RIGHT AWAY. THE VIDEO TO IT I REALLY DON'T REMEMBER IT. BUT ANYWAY, I LOVE THIS SONG ALOT.

X IT'S THE MID 80'S HELP US WE NEED MONEY & FAME.......2005-04-03

O.K. I agree with what most people have to say about this album, how heavy handed the production is etc. but in defense of the band and the producer lets just look at the facts. Whilst all our opinions count, they will always vary greatly and thats what makes life interesting. Fact 1.You play in of the one more original and underated L.A. bands since the Doors. Fact 2.You have a record company hungry to re-coup the cash they sunk into you're earlier efforts,whilst showing great promise you only had small record sales.Fact 3. Hire Michael Wagener of Alice Cooper fame to produce Ain't love Grand if only to get the record company off you're back.Fact 4. I don't care what anyone says but the Wagener produced albums of Alice Cooper's in the early to mid 70's, rock as hard as any of the new punk rock music that was to come(just listen to the Killer album).Fact 5. unless we we're all there in the studio when X recorded, who really knows what happened, it all just speculation.Now onto the non- facts I love X nearly and dearly with all my heart so much so that I have a great big X tattoed over my heart.In my ears, X never really did make a bad album just different records in a developing career, wether we the fans, agree or disagree with their desicions is entirely up to us as individuals.This album appears to have been fraught with danger from the very beginning, with John and Exene's ensuing personal issues as well as Billy Zoom deciding to quit the band,does this sound like a recipe for creative success , I personally would think not.When I put this album on to listen to I don't go in my head( oh my god I'm listening to the worst X album they ever made) I just let myself get into the music. Songs such as My Goodness crap over the latest effort from over produced pop muppets such as little Miss Kelly (I wanna be the next Avril) Clarkson's latest effort sorry Kelly I'm sure you're not a bad person(hang on yes you are).Sure this album was made in the middle of the big hair era but please don't use this as an excuse to say that this is why X didn't make a great record.From what I can hear they made the album that they had too make, not the album the we wanted them too make. There are still even hints of X's early sneering punk legacy in such songs as What's wrong with Me.Metal-billy makes an appearance in the form of the brilliant Dave Alvin penned Little Honey I think Billy Zoom shines on this track (which you can hear warts an' all on the Xcellent Knitters Poor Little Critter in the Road)and Burning house of Love rocks.The only song that ever really caught me off guard was their choice of the Small Faces All or Nothing(I never really did get this) and song such as Watch the sun Go Down, shows us to which direction The John Doe thing would take in another couple of years time .So maybe when you listen to this album don't be so harsh, maybe X are just victims of circumstances and the times, look out for those huge drum sounds BOOM! BOOM! BOOM ! Please Mr Producer man can I get a little more reverb on the snare thnx it's like record company executives had only just discovered reverb for the first time( it was total reverb mania in the 80's).Anyway after all is said and done you may still not like this album but at least try to be a little open-minded and forgiving. Because when you play in a band you don't always get to do things you want to do on a recording and I feel I can speak from experience, as a musician.As Jerry Dammers (of the Specials fame) once said in an early 80's interview and I still tend to agree with him, he said " there is no such thing as bad music there is only music that I like or that you don't like".

Average customer rating:

I agree with cotton hell
a steaming pile of crap > Cotton's so called review
True fans will adore this materpiece.

The String Quartet Tribute to Atreyu

Manufacturer: Vitamin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

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General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Tributes | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty
A Death-Grip On Yesterday
Suicide Notes & Butterfly Kisses
The String Quartet Tribute to AFI
The Best Of...

ASIN: B00070Q89A
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

The Remembrance Ballad
The Crimson
Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead
Someone's Standing On My Chest
This Flesh A Tomb
Ain't Love Grand
A Vampire's Lament
Lip Gloss And black
Demonology And Heartache
At Least I Know I'm A Sinner
Shouting In The Darkness

Product Description

1. The Remembrance Ballad
2. The Crimson
3. Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead
4. Someone's Standing On My Chest
5. This Flesh A Tomb
6. Ain't Love Grand
7. A Vampire's Lament
8. Lip Gloss And Black
9. Demonology And Heartache
10. At Least I Know I'm A Sinner
11. Shouting In The Darkness (Original Composition)

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

I agree with cotton hell.......2005-09-29

suicide notes is definately a heavier sounding album. the curse may be good and all but alex sounds a lot better on suicide notes. i like the string quartet, because it reminds me of when metallica did thier old songs from ride the lightning and such and let the symphony be in the background. i think its flipping sweet.

a steaming pile of crap > Cotton's so called review.......2005-09-01

First off, I'm not a kid. I just don't want to sign up to put my opinion on here.

Cotton, wtf does a string quartet TRIBUTE album have to do with getting radio play? I'd seriously like to know. The Curse only did one thing for this band. It made them even better. The Curse is better than Suicide Notes mainly for 3 reasons...

1. The production is much better and...
2. Alex's screaming is also incredibly improved(seriously listen to some songs of of SN and then The Curse, and you tell me which sounds better)
3. Brandon's melodic vocals are used more often. I know a lot of you "hardcore" kids will disagree, but music that is nothing but constant screaming in your ear is annoying. I think Atreyu does a much better job of switching between the screams and singing.

Now, I'm not saying that Suicide Notes is bad. I just think that The Curse is an improvement. I also like how you say that anyone who disagrees with you is wrong. Well, I'm not going to say anyone who disagrees with me is wrong. They just have a different opinion. Anyway, I'm not really into instrumental albums that much....but I'll give it a 5 because of the band that is being revered.

True fans will adore this materpiece........2005-04-05

First off, don't read Cotton Hell's review. If you lust atreyu's music (or if you are just a music lover in general) you will enjoy this album. These are all songs that were originally written and composed by atreyu! Yes, this is a tribute album. It is also an instrumental album. Personally I don't care if you like it or not. I just couldn't stand seeing just one review by an obvious simple-minded individual. Give it a listen and decide for yourself. That's why amazon.com gives you the listening options!