Beautiful Creature [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Japanese version of one of the indie rock darling's 2000 releases with one exclusive bonus track, a cover of the Police classic 'Every Breath You Take'. Standard jewel case.

Tracks:

Come Out All
Needles, Needles
Den III. Ende VI. Ronde + Quatre Branles
In Sorrow Must I Die
I Carry In My Heart
Be Sure To Drink In Moderation
A Venus Creature
How Sorrowful Is My Heart
New Almanack
In The Middle Of May
A Guild Has It's Wench
My Heart Has Secretly Departed
My Beloved's Brown Eyes
Ye Noble Young Spirits
Ronde IV-I-VI
Fool's Entr'acte
Beautiful Venus
Hoboken Dance
I Went Out Last Night
Allemande IV-III-IV
Gaillarde I-II-III
You Are The Most Precious
Pain And Sorrow + I Mourn
O Time So Heartily Full Of Melodies
Now Take Note
Here We Come
A Girl Came Walking By I
A Girl Came Walking By II
Ronde III - IV

Customer Reviews:

The best of the 4 I recently bought.......2005-04-27

For some reason I recently decided to buy a variety of Early Music CDs from Amazon. I purchased four, including this one, enough to spend $25 for free shipping. Of the four (the others being 'Praetorius: Dances from Terpsichore', 'Music of the Troubadours', and 'Music of the Crusades'), this is my favorite.

I particularly like the song whose title is translated on this page as 'Be sure to drink in moderation' - I don't know enough contemporary Dutch to know if learning to sing this as recorded on this CD would be comprehensible to native speakers of Dutch today, but I certainly hope so, because it would make a terrific ice breaker at parties in Holland.

As for the music, it's hard to imagine that a gaggle of trained geese would sound as good as these Crumhorns. This album really rocks.

a little jewel of Renaissance music.......2004-01-17

If you are looking for an album with all types of renaissance-music from the Low Countries this is the album. Different composers from that time-area and different types of music are recorded. Some songs are very modest, others makes it difficult not to hum with. This cd is a jewel worth listening. Renaissancofiles: this album should be in your collection.

Average customer rating:

A Review For Fence-Sitters
Juliana's best
Varied and nearly flawless.
Introspective album...
Juliana calls these acoustic demos DEMOs? DO MORE!

Beautiful Creature
Juliana Hatfield
Manufacturer: Zoe Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure
Bed
Please Do Not Disturb
In Exile Deo
Feel It

ASIN: B00004T9RW
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Tracks:

Daniel
Close Your Eyes
Choose Drugs
Cool Rock Boy
Don't Rush Me
Slow Motion
Might Be In Love
Somebody Is Waiting For Me
Until Tomorrow
The Easy Way Out
Hotels
When You Loved Me
Cry In The Dark

Amazon.com

Juliana Hatfield hasn't released an album since 1998's Bed, which came on the heels of her ill-fated, unfinished and unreleased God's Foot. Beautiful Creature sounds much more complete than Bed, and proves to be her most entertaining release since 1992's Hey Babe. Full of songs about vulnerability and longing, it refuses to wilt into bland Lilith Fair grandeur. In fact, it's rather simple--Hatfield strums in front of the standard drums and bass, occasionally joined by strings or a keyboard line. The lyrics take up most of the space, thanks to Hatfield's airy, sighing delivery. Her voice is perfect for the mild "Might Be in Love" and the plaintively powerful "Don't Rush Me." While this is an excellent release, those who miss Hatfield's loud rockers should bypass Beautiful Creature and head straight for the sister release, Total System Failure, a crunchy stack of decibels by her new trio, Juliana's Pony. --Jason Josephes

Customer Reviews:

A Review For Fence-Sitters.......2006-12-13

I usually don't get much of of rave reviews from committed fans. Not that there's anything wrong with committed fans, all artists should be so lucky as to have them. But when I'm sitting on the fence trying to decide whether to check out a new artist, or, like in this case, rediscover one I used to know, I try to avoid such reviews/fans.

But most of JH's albums are available used for super-cheap, so I went ahead and picked up 4 of her '90s albums.

Even back when I enjoyed the Blake Babies and JH's 1st couple of albums and her intersection with the Lemonheads, I always found her a bit hit-and-miss. Some songs i like A LOT, and some make me roll my eyes because of too-obvious chord changes, arrangements and production, bland delivery or just plain embarrassing lyrics.

I discovered all of the above experiences were waiting for me again on these new albums, and this, BEAUTIFUL CREATURE, was no exception. There's even one song (i think it's "Hotels") you can sing that big Chris Isaak hit 'Wicked Game' over! Tsk! Then there's "Cool Rock Boy", with a song on the companion album that refers to a "Little White Boy" and other equally adventurous wordplay. Nothing against her but that kind of lyrical laziness leaves me cold. I suspect she's a much more interesting person than many of her lyrics let on.

So, if you're on the fence, and used to like Juliana Hatfield but haven't heard her in awhile, I would probably steer you away from this one and towards In Exile Deo or perhaps Made in China. In Exile Deo has a couple of the best JH songs I've probably ever heard ("Get in Line" [a Revolver-esque romp] and "Because We Love You" [one of the best songs Teenage Fanclub didn't write]) and is worth it just for those songs.

If, however, you really like the sweeter poppier side of Ms. Hatfield, this would be a great choice. For me there are too many of those kinds of songs I might hear under a treacly teen romance movie on the USA channel.

One other comment: "Close Your Eyes" is a great acoustic lullabye and makes no sense as track 2. Put it at the end, or as a mid-album breather or something!

My two cents. I'm glad she's still making music and fighting the good fight.

Juliana's best.......2005-10-26

I am a big JULIANA HATFIELD fan and BEAUTIFUL CREATURE is her best album. Check out the songs 2,3,6,7,8,9,11,12,13. MIGHT BE IN LOVE is one of the most beautiful songs you will ever hear.

MY RANKINGS:

1) BEAUTIFUL CREATURE ("beautiful" album, Juliana at her peak)
2) BED
3) HEY BABE (raw and experimentive)
4) GOLD STARS (Bestof)(for the 4 new songs and GOD'S FOOT stuff)
5) BECOME WHAT YOU ARE (most commercial album, but not best)
6) ONLY EVERYTHING (SIMPLICITY IS BEAUTIFUL is a gem)
7) PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB
8) JULIANA'S PONY (Evil twin sister of BEAUTIFUL CREATURE)
9) IN EXILE DEO (TOMORROW NEVER COMES steals the show)
10)MADE IN CHINA (Juliana's most recent and worst Album)

Varied and nearly flawless........2005-07-26

2000 was a busy year for Juliana Hatfield, she recorded two albums worth of material, each record quite different. "Total System Failure" was a loud and aggressive album of pretty much straight forward alt-punk. "Beuatiful Creature" was a record of introspection-- loops, acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies, territories she'd flirted in but never fully embraced.

Remarkably, the experimentation all works pretty well-- there's an extraordinarily high level of quality on all this material (and conversely, I found the more conventional "Total System Failure" to be largely, well a failure). Probably most important to the success of this record is the self-assurance that is obvious in Hatfield's vocal. No more do her girly vocals sound thin and nervous, but rather sit comfortably on top of the shifting backgrounds put in place.

And the album does shift, from funky electric rock ("Daniel") to acoustic melancholy ("Choose Drugs", "Hotels"), loop-based churns ("Cool Rock Boy", "Don't Rush Me") and some of the most delicate and beautiful work Hatfield has ever done (pretty acoustic love song "Might Be in Love" and the absolutely stunning "Close Your Eyes", something so delicate and pretty it needs to be heard to be appreciated).

It's not a very accessible album, because it does find so many directions, but "Beautiful Creature" is so unnervingly good, it deserves attention. And its certainly the best thing Hatfield has released in a long time. Highly recommended.

Introspective album..........2004-11-15

This is a very introspective album for a girl whose in her late teens/early twenties dealing with sex, finals, drugs and angst. I'm glad those days are over for me.

Juliana calls these acoustic demos DEMOs? DO MORE!.......2004-06-28

I recently rediscovered Juliana Hatfield. What made me put My Sister back in? I heard it on XFM, and thought man, it has been a long time since I heard that... I come to Amazon and realize I have been missing Juliana for way too long.. but you know what they say, the longer you wait, the more satisfying it can be, and cheaper too. I bought Bed, I bought Total System Failure, I bought the best of album, and I bought Some Girls. Of all of these, Beautiful Creature has been in my CD player the longest--over a month now. On first listen, I was wondering if I was going to like it.. by the third listen the pathways were greased... I was listening to it all of the time and still am. I love Choose Drugs, Cool Rock Boy, Slow Motion, Somebody is Waiting for me. But, don't get me wrong, this album does not have a poor song on it. It must be listened to as a whole, with the progression of songs in sequence. There are no immediate pop hits on here... in fact, while I do not listen to local radio too much, I do not ever recall ever hearing any of this album anywhere--maybe that is why it all sounds so new. There is fine balance of acoustics and vocals without a lot of the harder rock that Juliana can definitely pump out. Juliana says she was dissatisfied after working on this album... why I must ask??! In my opinion, this album is Juliana's best. BTW, the other album which is hanging out in the CD player is Some Girls "Feel It". I am rehooked on Juliana, and it feels so good.

Beautiful Creature/Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure

Average customer rating:

Simply Beautiful
what happened to juliana??
Great Set
Juliana's musical yin & yang
Juliana continues to slip.

Beautiful Creature/Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure
Juliana Hatfield
Manufacturer: Zoe Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Box Sets | Stores | Music

General | Rock | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Bed
Please Do Not Disturb
Feel It
Made in China
God Bless the Blake Babies

ASIN: B00004T9S0
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Tracks:

Beautiful Creature: Daniel - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Close Your Eyes - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Choose Drugs - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Cool Rock Boy - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Don't Rush Me - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Slow Motion - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Might Be In Love - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Somebody Is Waiting For Me - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Until Tomorrow - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: The Easy Way Out - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Hotels - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: When You Loved Me - Juliana Hatfield
Beautiful Creature: Cry In The Dark - Juliana Hatfield

Tracks:

Total System Failure: White Thrash - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Metal Fume Fever - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Houseboy - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Road Wrath - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Let's Get Married - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Breeders - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: My Protegee - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Total System Failure - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: The Victim - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Using You - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Leather Pants - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Noblesse Oblige - Juliana's Pony
Total System Failure: Ten Foot Pole - Juliana's Pony

Tracks:

Bonus CD: Every Breath You Take - Juliana Hatfield
Bonus CD: When You Loved Me (Mex Mix) - Juliana Hatfield

Customer Reviews:

Simply Beautiful.......2000-10-01

I bought this because I wanted some of that relaxed Juliana feel. Imagine my surprise when I put on disc two (first of course). This CD is what it feels like when you've had a really, really (think worst in decades) bad day. When it feels like if someone touches you, you will explode with rage. I reminds me a great deal of Husker Du's "Zen Arcade" and more recently Elastica's "Menace".... I think Juliana's lyrics work here. I was struck by how much they resemble Exene Cervenka's. All of this in mind this sound is not at all derivitive. Juliana certainly stands alone.

The first CD is possibly the most beautiful CD I've heard since "Dusty in Memphis". Juliana's moved away from that "Hey Babe" sound. And with the exception of "Choose Drugs" I haven't noticed a bit of her Evan-Dando-broke-my-heart whine. This is a beautiful relaxing CD.

I must admit that I haven't listened to Juliana for years, but now it's like running into an old friend and realizing how much you really loved them.

what happened to juliana??.......2000-08-11

What happened? Not that I don't love this box set, particularly "total system failure"....but it's so hard, I do enjoy it, it is different from the usual. It's a classic guy-hating-post-teen-angst-filled collection of beautiful songs...yet, somewhat disturbing lyrics.

Great Set.......2000-07-23

I have liked Juliana Hatfield for a long time and was always looking for a reason to love her. These two CDs are exactly what I was looking for. Both CDs are distinct and beautifully done. The extra CD with the superb Police cover makes this set worth all the money in the world. Amazon is the last place I could find this 3 CD set anywhere on the net so I beg you to buy it now before Amazon sells out also. Take care.

Juliana's musical yin & yang.......2000-06-20

I heard Juliana Hatfield say in an interview a few years ago that she likes doing acoustic shows when it's just her and a guitar, but then also likes doing "the other thing" with a band - "I wanna do both". She's certainly always had a stark heavy/soft dichotomy in her music and this dual release deliberately exaggerates it. One could wonder: is this is some sort of experiment, to split apart and isolate her two musical halves, trying to somehow reinvent herself in the process? In some ways it's not too different to her previous stuff, just exploring those two heavy/soft extremes further, heaping you with lots of wistful ohhhh's and ahhhh's on one disc, and then lots of belting grunge on the other. It's an interesting idea and I'm still wondering which side of her music I like best. Maybe I'm simply like all those who got hooked with Juliana's more introspective little-girl-lost voice on "Hey Babe" way back in '92 than the later heavier stuff, 'cause it seems to be Beautiful Creature that is spinning more frequently in the CD player than Total System Failure at the moment, I seem to be getting more out of her quieter twinkling of the acoustic, more than just an essence of Frente in there (maybe it's just due to the mood these CDs have found me in?) Although I really get into the grunge-kick of Juliana's heavy stuff too (eg: Only Everything, Bed, etc) and do quite like Total System Failure, some of the feedback-strewn songs remind me a little Nirvana's "Bleach" in rawness, bashing out "balls" and angst. The lyrics keep it at street-level though, give out the familiar no-crap Juliana attitude. I bet it'll sound awesome live. The box set is a good deal - both albums for less, plus a CD single with a catchy cover of Every Breath You Take. That's tons of songs in one release.

Juliana continues to slip........2000-06-20

Somehow over the course of six years Juliana Hatfield's vocals have deteriorated. Whereas she was a confident, distinctive lead singer on Only Everything and Become What You Are, on both Beautiful Creature and Total System Failure she sounds unsure, and her songwriting is a ghost of its former, catchy, occasionally ingenious self.

Beautiful Creature, at least, is a three-star album, unremarkable but sometimes tuneful, relaxed arrangements bedding Juliana's somewhat laid back performances. It doesn't sound all that different from any other acoustic guitar-strumming female singer out there (eg. Karen Peris or Dayna Manning), but blandly pleasant. Total System Failure, on the other hand, should just have the word "System" removed from its title. While Juliana used to temper her harsher guitar performances with melody and hooks, on Total System Failure it's complete ineptitude all around: A bad, flat band; guitars that resemble noise instead of musical instruments; faceless songs with no coherent structure or build to speak of. I wouldn't call this hard rock or punk -- it lacks the energy. And it's definitely not pop or noise-pop, because it doesn't have the hooks. All in all, a piece of trash.

I can't help but wish Juliana would get back on track one of these days. In her heyday she was a force to be reckoned with in the alternative-music scene. For six years straight, though, it's as though she's lost touch with her songwriting muse.

Shades of Blue
Average customer rating:
Shades of Blue

Manufacturer: Creature
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAG3QS
Release Date: 2004-03-30