Product Description

A collection of Tracy Chapman's most popular hits which spans across her career from 1988-2000. Includes songs which are featured on her five previous albums such as 'Fast Car', 'Baby Can I Hold You Tonight', 'Talikin' Bout A Revolution' and 'Give Me One Reason'. Contemporary folk with influences of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Emmy Lou Harris.

Track Listing

1. Fast Car
2. Subcity
3. Baby Can I Hold You
4. The Promise
5. I'm Ready
6. Crossroads
7. Bang Bang Bang
8. Telling Stories
9. Smoke and Ashes
10. Speak the Word
11. Wedding Song
12. Open Arms
13. Give Me One Reason
14. Talkin' Bout A Revolution
15. She's Got Her Ticket
16. All That You Have Is Your Soul

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1194 in Music
• Released on: 2001-09-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Some albums just can't be bettered. Tracy Chapman's 1988 self-titled debut is one of them. Led by poignant singles "Fast Car", "Baby Can I Hold You Tonight" and "Talkin' Bout a Revolution", its fragile acoustic laments tugged at the heart-strings and established Chapman as a songwriter with a uniquely human touch--selling 10 million copies and picking up three Grammies in the process. As this collection illustrates, such genius sets a difficult precedent. Despite including some truly beautiful songs from her four subsequent albums, the impact of those emotive early singles still dwarfs everything here. "I'm Ready" and "Smoke and Ashes" line up as the best of the rest, but with "Speak The Word", "Wedding Song" and "Open Arms" brimming with tender melodies and sentiments that touch in a way that most songwriters can only dream of, it's a close run thing. "Fast Car" & Co. may be untouchable, but with the quiver in her voice adding a depth of emotion to her words of love, need and hope, these 16 tracks make n salient point: with Tracy Chapman, there is no such thing as an average song. --Dan Gennoe

Customer Reviews

A truly beautiful CD, near-faultless and genuinely poetic
Many artists have attempted to sum up the sadness and frustrations of those in impovershed communities. In doing so, many of these have aimed to offer genuine hope and encouragement at the same time. Issues such as poverty, gun crime, and oppression of working classes and ethnic minorities are not unusual song subjects. And yet, from punk to gangsta rap, I would defy you to find an artist who can sum them all up so eloquently and compassionately as Tracy Chapman.

The collection (chosen by Tracy herself) opens with Fast Car, the song which made her a star almost overnight. With its beautiful and subtle melody, the song draws the attention immediately, but the lyrics are the real star, delivering a bittersweet message about socail problems and the difficulty of breaking free. Baby Can I Hold You and Talkin 'Bout A Revolution are both among her most famous tracks, and both actually date from her teenage years. One is a beautiful and world-wise look at futile attempts to rebuild a relationship, the other a paean to anyone looking to turn the tables ont hose who oppress and disregard them. These would be amazing compositions from anyone of any age, let alone a teenager.

That she didn't remain a true mainstrem artist in the following years strikes me as unfortuante. While she has touched many people and continues to do so today, and surely made a reasonable living, the reality is that people have missed out not only on beautiful songs, but also on what could be the template for a better world (the liner notes allude to this - I thought it was exaggerated pretentious rubbish, until I listened to the CD).

If I may pick out a few further highlights, Bang Bang Bang is an obvious choice. I write this in the wake of another US school shooting, and the day after numerous UK newspapers praised a teacher for shooting at two local children she regarded as hooligans (I suspect they'd've been more impressed if she'd hit them). And yet this song sums up the sheer myopia of these attitudes, knowign that what was once a frightened and insecure child can quickly become a blood-thirsty and dangerous monster, and a gun is not the way to prevent this and harness one's potential.

The Promise is another standout, imploring us to find "a place for me in your heart", which also works on a general level of searching for some truth and humanity in the world out there. Speak the Word also typifies both her more personal material and the ligher side of her personality, with a real poignancy and style. Closing the collection is All That You Have Is Your Soul, anotehr tale of attempting to put what's real and meaningful above the superficial. "Don't be tempted by the shiny apple, don't you eat of a bitter fruit, hunger only for a taste of justic, hunger only for a world of truth, as all that you have is your soul". Rarely have truer words been spoken.

A Great Intoduction To A Fantastic Artist
The only gripe I have about this album is that some people may just buy this 'collection' album and expect that this is as good as it gets. The truth is every Tracy Chapman album is sensational and this though a good start has missed several Tracy gems which appear on the other albums...

Back to this collection, it's in my opinion the best 'greatest hits' album available - you cannot deny the talent Tracy has, she's a great song writter, has a fantastic and unique voice.

The songs choosen for this album are faultless, You have the well known tracks 'Fast Car', 'Baby Can I Hold You' and 'Talkin' Bout A Revolution' - but every track here is sublime, my personal favs are including the one's mentioned are 'Smoke And Ashes', 'Crossroads', 'Telling Stories', 'Give Me One Reason', actually I love them all. Each song is as breath taking, thought provoking beautiful and just as sublime as the next.

overall mark: 99.9%

Totally Songstress
This woman is amazing. Her lyrics are so real and to the point while her voice sounds different on all he tracks! No song is the same and you can't judge Tracy Chapman on one song. I love all the songs except Baby Can I Hold You and my favourites are Fast Car, The Promise, Smoke and Ashes. Her stuff is so different to anything I've ever heard before and this unique album at least deserves a listen.