It’s difficult to fathom the thinking behind this overview of VH1’s popular Storytellers series. Begin with the fact that the actual stories are expunged from the recording. If you want the tales behind the songs, you’ll have to read the booklet. So the music is left to stand on its own, but with each of the 15 artists allowed one selection to make their mark, even those that stand tall don’t stand for long. David Bowie brings a tremendous focus to “China Girl”; Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks mix their voices in “Strong Enough” to striking effect; and the Eurythmics’s “Here Comes the Rain Again” improves upon the hit original. On the downside, Jewel’s caterwauling in “Who Will Save Your Soul” (the singer gets tangled up in a bal [Read More...]
Buy Welcome to Vh1 Storytellers at Amazon
Hot Internet Ideas: Did you know that the greatest songs of all time are available on MP3? Check out the Best Song Ever MP3 to learn more.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I love to hear different versions of songs I like, at least if they are well done. This CD is excellent in that respect.
Eurythmics approaches “Here Comes the Rain Again” with an acoustic guitar and a slower tempo than the original.
David Bowie opens China Girl with solo piano before returning to original tempo with a full band (SRV is not in this recording.)
“Crash” is done just right with ONLY 2 acoustic guitars, the way it was meant to be done.
Even John Cougar’s tired old “Jack & Diane” gets new life, it’s a tuff, tight version with a few new tricks…which is where my beef comes in…John Cougar Mellencamp rapping??? No,no - I don’t think so…but sadly, yes. He screws up an excellent performance trying to show off his tan. He gets into the stereo-typical “Say Go Bo-z, go Bo-z” chant - I kid you not, and that’s the good part.
JCMellencamp, you ain’t a rapper. Know your limitations, son.
Anyway, that’s the only reason I docked the CD 1 star.
The CD has a number of performers I don’t much care for, but they are all versions worth having.
Storytellers is a VH1program where in the artists reveal the rhymes and reasons behind some of their best songs. This CD is a compilation of many of those extraordinary live performances, reworked, often stripped down and well aged like a good mellow scotch. The stories fortunately are included in the booklet of the CD, but not available in the tape format.
A finer collection of the best Adult Contemporary music is hard to find these days. This is no boy-band…compilation. The artists on this 15 track set include big names such as David Bowie, Stevie Nicks, Counting Crows, Jewel, Dave Matthews, Lisa Loeb, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, Elvis Costello and The Bee Gees. When these musicians were young boys and girls, The Backstreet Boys were hardly even born and MTV had probably just begun.
Chrissie Hynde is almost full of pathos, pulls of a spirited rework of Back On The Chain Gang. Sheryl Crow, the modern-day rock chick teams up with powerhouse vocalist Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) on the former’s Strong Enough. Lovely. Devoid of original back-up singers Graham Nash and David Crosby (from CSN&Y), James Taylor still sings Mexico is perfect JT style, honeyed and classic. John Mellencamp turns Jack & Diane into a hip-hop MC jamboree that is fun and all involving, Boy, he’s sure having a good time on it. The recording captures the band rocking with the audience really neatly.
Lisa Loeb’s Stay is a one woman-one guitar unplugged effort, eventually not a patch on the original album version. Jewel seems to get carried away in her own yodel and warble and in doing so gets highly entangled in Who Will Save Your Soul. Pity that.
Still there is enough nostalgia and great production of some of the finest music in the business on this set. Good listening and easily listen able many time over.
This show has produced some great musical moments. Unfortunatley, none of them are on this cd. Who can forget, Melissa Etheridge’s { Testify} or Don Henley’s ( Boys of Summer) and the list goes on. This collection does not live up to the show and I would recommend passing on this collection and hope for a Vol 2.