Bananarama

Bananarama - Greatest Hits
$21.99
This Bananarama CD is better known outside the USA. And it is a pity it never got launched here. It is still very much an exciting compilation of some of the best-known Bananarama songs.

Deep Sea Skiving
$10.98
I am not what you would call an audiophile. And I don't have a thumpin' system in my car, but when I popped it in the player, waiting to hear the girls shine, as I remember them. I was sadly disturbed at the muddled sound. Everything, tiny and flat. Nothing stood out, drums, vocals, high's. I thought, ok the radio has had it. Popped another cd I bought, General Public's awesome"Rub It Better", what a difference! So I thought, some glitch, put the Bananarama back in, after General Publics album finished. Lot's of driving mind you. I was still dissapointed. Thought I'd suffer through and listen to see if it got better. Nope. The whole time, I'm thinking, it was the album always this bad sounding? Got to drag out the vinyl. NOpe, sounded better. What gives? Why do remasters seem to suck a lot? Is it just me? Is it as Edward who gave it 1 star, better suited for the computer? Anyone else think it sounded bad?

Bananagrams
$14.95
This is one of those products that is so simple, and so compulsive that it makes you think "Why didn't I think of that?"

The action is fast paced, bordering on frantic. Grabbing an awkward letter out of "the bunch" can cause you to completely rearrange your anagram. An X, V, Q or J in the last tile grab can cause some of the most intense gaming that you'll find anywhere.

For those that say this game is anti-social: I do understand this criticism, but at our table moments of intense concentration were broken up with peaks of hilarity at unfortunate misspellings and words that aren't quite words. As with anything, who you're playing with has as much to do with whether or not an activity is social as the game itself does. and unlike traditional scrabble, you don't end up wanting to kill anyone for taking 15 minutes to figure out where to make their next play.

The tiles feel good in the hand, and that does add to the game play. The packaging is light-hearted and seeing it on the shelf, people always ask after it.

If you're a word game family, I cannot recommend this game enough.

The Very Best of Bananarama
$14.98
The Very Best of Bananarama has some awesome music from the days when Bananarama hit the airwaves hard with their sizzling music! We all danced to these tunes and they're still fun to dance to today. Bananarama had a great sound that was their own and they remain one of the best "girl groups" of the 1980s although they continued to perform and make great new music even after the 1980s were over. The quality of the sound on this CD is nothing short of excellent; and I love that artwork, too.

"Venus," the opening track on this album, was a huge, huge hit for Bananarama. Bananarama use a great beat for this tune that's intense, catchy and designed to get you moving really fast on that dance floor! This is anything but muzak! "Venus" also uses great effects to enhance the number even more. "Love In The First Degree" is a fine tune that also had us dancing; it's not quite as strong as "Venus" but make no mistake about it--this is still outstanding music with lots of style and energy. Listen also for Bananarama to do an impressive cover of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye;" Steam would be proud! "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a highlight of this album; and I really like "Cruel Summer." "Cruel Summer" got a great deal of airplay and it sounds great even all these years later. I love it!

"I Want You Back" has an upbeat musical arrangement that belies the seriousness of the lyrics; however this all holds its own very well and "I Want You Back" is a great number from this group. "I Heard A Rumour" is one of the biggest hits Bananarama ever had; this tune got so much airplay but we never cared--it sounded fresh, new and exciting every time we heard it and danced to it! "I Heard A Rumour" is a song I could never tire of hearing when Bananarama performs it.

"More, More, More" again shows that Bananarama could really pull off a fine cover; and "I Can't Help It" is another tune that positively exudes fantastic amounts of energy. "It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It" features The Fun Boy Three going along with Bananarama to make an awesome dance tune; and that's pretty special. I also enjoy the 7 inch mix of "Last Thing on My Mind." "Last Thing on My Mind" has Bananarama squarely front and center and they harmonize to perfection for a terrific effect! Listen also for the 7 inch version of "Long Train Running;" this is another great cover song that Bananarama aces as effortlessly as if it were just breathing.

"Help" is a cover of this very famous Beatles tune; and the album ends really well with Bananarama performing a medley of "Venus;" "I Heard a Rumour" and "Love in the First Degree." Wow! What a red hot ending for this CD!

Bananarama fans will certainly want this for their collections; it's a keeper. This is also a pretty good retrospective of the great music Bananarama has put out throughout many years. I also recommend this CD for people who like dance and pop music from the 1980s as well