The Essential Boom Crash Opera

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The Essential Boom Crash Opera
The Essential Boom Crash Opera.jpg
Compilation album by
ReleasedApril 2007
Recorded Platinum Studios, RAK Studios, Metropolis Audio, Track Record, Hot Tin Roof, Kiva West, Hothouse Audio, Gotham Audio, The Bunghole
Genre Rock
Length74:46
Label Sony BMG
Producer Keith Forsey, Pete Smith, Peter Farnan, Richard Pleasance, Rick Will, Don Gehman, Steve Brown, Alex Sadkin
Boom Crash Opera chronology
The Best Things – Greatest Hits
(1998)
The Essential Boom Crash Opera
(2007)
Dancing in the Storm
(2009)

The Essential Boom Crash Opera is the third compilation album by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera, released in April 2007. [1]

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg

Marisa Brown from AllMusic gave the album 3 out of 5, saying; "Most of the material on The Essential is culled from their 1987 self-titled debut and 1989s These Here Are Crazy Times , and includes nearly all the singles from both of these records. Tracked chronologically, the compilation shows the progression of the band's sound well, as it was shaped both by the passage of time and the departure of main songwriter and guitarist Richard Pleasance. Said sound, unfortunately, becomes a lot more derivative and less interesting as the years pass, the college rock energy and grit that initially attracted fans not as well represented in songs like "All," "Bettadaze," and "Gimme." As The Essential is slightly more in-depth than the 1998 'best-of' The Best Things, though some of the later tracks are different, it doesn't add much interest for a fan of the band, but it does—and is intended to—act as a primer on a group that was often overlooked outside of Australia, and in that it succeeds." [2]

Track listing

  1. "Great Wall" (Dale Ryder, Richard Pleasance) - 3:46
  2. "Hands Up in the Air" (Peter Farnan, Richard Pleasance) - 3:55
  3. "City Flat" (Peter Farnan, Richard Pleasance) - 4:09
  4. "Her Charity" (Peter Farnan, Richard Pleasance) - 5:00
  5. "Love Me to Death" (Richard Pleasance, Peter Farnan) - 4:28
  6. "Onion Skin" (Peter Farnan) - 3:28
  7. "Get Out of the House!" (Greg O'Connor, Dale Ryder, Peter Farnan; Peter Maslen, Richard Pleasance) - 3:19
  8. "The Best Thing" (Richard Pleasance) - 4:14
  9. "Dancing in the Storm" (Richard Pleasance, Peter Farnan) - 4:12
  10. "Mountain of Strength" (Dale Ryder, Peter Maslen, Richard Pleasance; Greg O'Connor; Peter Farnan) - 4:09
  11. "Talk About It" (Richard Pleasance) - 4:03
  12. "End Up Where I Started" (Peter Farnan; Richard Pleasance) - 3:13
  13. "Holy Water" (Greg O'Connor, Peter Maslen, Richard Pleasance, Dale Ryder, Peter Farnan) - 3:56
  14. "Bettadaze" (Peter Farnan, Greg O'Connor, Dale Ryder) - 3:59
  15. "In the Morning" (Peter Farnan, Greg O'Connor) - 3:57
  16. "This Isn't Love" (Dale Ryder) - 3:30
  17. "Gimme" (Ian Tilley, Peter Farnan) - 3:36
  18. "Dreaming Up a Fire" (Richard Pleasance, Peter Farnan) - 3:44
  19. "All" (Peter Maslen, Peter Farnan, Ian Tilley) - 4:12

Related Research Articles

Boom Crash Opera are an Australian pop rock band formed in late 1984. Initially based around the songwriting partnership of Richard Pleasance and Peter Farnan, the band was later joined by Dale Ryder (vocals), Peter ‘Maz’ Maslen (drums) and Greg O’Connor (keyboards). Pleasance developed tinnitus from constant exposure to loud live music and left in 1992 to pursue a solo career as an artist and producer. O’Connor departed in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onion Skin (song)</span> 1989 single by Boom Crash Opera

"Onion Skin" is a song by Australian band Boom Crash Opera. The song was released in June 1989 as the lead single from their second studio album, These Here Are Crazy Times! (1989), and reached number 11 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The following year, the song was released in the United States and reached number eight on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart that July.

<i>These Here Are Crazy Times</i> 1989 studio album by Boom Crash Opera

These Here Are Crazy Times! is the second studio album by Australian rock group Boom Crash Opera, released in October 1989. The album was the breakthrough album to the lucrative U.S. Market for the band & was released in the United States by Giant records. This release had 2 new reworked versions of the songs "Talk About It" and "The Best Thing". Both songs were re-recorded with producer Jimmy Iovine of U2 fame, after Bono from U2 became a fan of the band during the U2 Love Town tour of Australia in 1989.

Richard Arnold Pleasance is an Australian rock musician and producer. He was a founding member of Boom Crash Opera on guitar, bass guitar, vocals and as a songwriter in 1985; they released three albums before Pleasance left in 1992. Their hit Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles, "Great Wall" and "Onion Skin" were co-written by Pleasance, who also co-produced their second album, These Here Are Crazy Times. His debut solo release, Galleon received four nominations at the ARIA Music Awards for 1992. Pleasance composed the theme music for Australian television series, SeaChange (1998–2001), for 2006 feature film Kenny and more recently he composed the theme music for the prison drama series Wentworth. Pleasance is married to Michelle and, as from May 2009, he was living in Hepburn Springs, Victoria where he has a recording studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Wall (song)</span> 1986 single by Boom Crash Opera

"Great Wall" is a song by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera. It was the first single from their self-titled 1987 album, and reached number five on the Australian music charts. Great Wall's lyrics reference the New South Wales Hume Weir (Dam).

<i>Boom Crash Opera</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Boom Crash Opera

Boom Crash Opera is the first album by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera, released in 1987. Singles released from the album include two which reached the top 20 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, "Great Wall" and "Hands Up in the Air".

<i>String of Pearls</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Deborah Conway

String of Pearls is the debut studio album by the Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Deborah Conway. The album was released in October 1991 and peaked at number 20 on the Australian ARIA Charts.

<i>Look! Listen!!</i> 1990 remix album by Boom Crash Opera

Look Listen! is the first remix album by Australian rock group Boom Crash Opera, released in 1990. Look Listen! peaked at number 47 on the ARIA Charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hands Up in the Air</span> 1986 single by Boom Crash Opera

"Hands Up in the Air" is a song by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera. It was released in 1986 as the second single from their self-titled studio album.

"City Flat" is a song by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera, released in 1987 as the third single from their self-titled studio album. It was written by the band's two main songwriters: guitarist Peter Farnan and bass player Richard Pleasance. The song peaked at number 42 in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Her Charity</span> 1987 single by Boom Crash Opera

"Her Charity" is the fourth single by Australian band Boom Crash Opera, released in 1987. It was the fourth single to be released from the band's self-title album. It peaked at number 32 on the Kent Music Report. The song is about Miss America Beauty pageants.

<i>Born</i> (Boom Crash Opera album) 1995 studio album by Boom Crash Opera

Born is the fourth studio album released by Australian rock group Boom Crash Opera. The album was released in February 1995 and peaked at number 37 on the ARIA Charts.

<i>Gizmo Mantra</i> 1997 studio album by Boom Crash Opera

Gizmo Mantra is the fifth studio album released by Australian rock group Boom Crash Opera. The album was released in November 1997.

<i>The Best Things</i> (1998 album) 1998 greatest hits album by Boom Crash Opera

The Best Things – The Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits released by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera. The album was released in August 1998 and includes tracks from all of Boom Crash Opera's five studio albums as well as non-album single "Soundtrack" and unreleased track "Radio".

<i>The Best Things</i> (2013 album) 2013 greatest hits album by Boom Crash Opera

The Best Things – The Greatest Hits is the fourth compilation album and third greatest hits released by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera. The album was released in Australian on 18 October 2013. The album was launched on 25 October 2013 at the Flyer Saucer Club in Melbourne. The album includes tracks from the group's first four studio albums as well as two new tracks recorded in 2012, "I am" and "You Can't Stop the Sun".

<i>The Lost Things</i> 2013 compilation album by Boom Crash Opera

The Lost Things is the fifth compilation album released by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera. The album is a collection of Boom Crash Opera rarities and was released in Australian on 18 October 2013. The album was launched on 25 October 2013 at the Flyer Saucer Club in Melbourne.

<i>Dancing in the Storm</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Boom Crash Opera

Dancing in the Storm is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera. The album was released in Australia on 1 May 2009 as part of the Liberation Music "Blue Acoustic" series. The physical version came with a bonus live DVD, recorded in June 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Me to Death</span> 1988 single by Boom Crash Opera

"Love Me to Death" is a song by Australian rock band Boom Crash Opera, released in 1988. It is the fifth and final single to be released from Boom Crash Opera's debut album Boom Crash Opera. It peaked at number 72 on the Kent Music Report.

Serious Young Insects were a short lived Australian pop rock band formed in 1980. The group released one studio album and three singles.

Peter Farnan is a composer, sound designer, musical director and guitarist from Melbourne, Australia. He is one of the founding members of the band Boom Crash Opera and the 1980s pop rock band Serious Young Insects. He currently produces music under the moniker 'Pesky Bones'. Peter has collaborated with artists including Paul Kelly, Megan Washington, Rebecca Barnard, Charles Jenkins and Tim Rogers.

References

  1. "Boom Crash Opera The Essential Boom Crash Opera". Discogs. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  2. "The Essential Boom Crash Opera (AllMusic)". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 January 2017.