Product Description

2005 is the 10th Anniversary of Leftism. Since the release of this phenomenal album, Leftfield have gone on to sell over 1 million records in the UK across this and their second studio album Rhythm & Stealth. They have created some of the most recognized and well respected dance tunes of the nineties, many of which have been used more recently for TV ads, and are synonymous with creatively amazing videos.

Track Listing

1. Release The Pressure
2. Afro-Left
3. Song Of Life
4. Original
5. Storm 3000
6. Open Up
7. Dusted
8. Phat Planet
9. Afrika Shox
10. Not Forgotten
11. A Final Hit
12. Swords
13. Shallow Grave
14. Snakeblood
15. More Than I Know

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68866 in Music
• Released on: 2005-10-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

CD Description
Posthumous best-of compilation from revered Brit dance duo who disbanded in 2002 after producing just two albums in eleven years. This release collects together all their top tunes including 'Phat Planet' from the Guinness "surfers" advert, 'Open Up', their collaboration with the legendary John Lydon, and their ultra-rare debut single 'Not Forgotten'.

Customer Reviews

Flawed
A strong collection from one of the UK's definitive dance bands fatataly flawed by the sinfull omission of the track Inspection from their mighty Leftism album. Smacks of of a record company compilation, not a career overview put together by the band itself.

The Best Of?
Some five years after their discreet, barely noticed split, Leftfield eschew the usual glory with a superfluous compilation. Whilst offering abundant value (a DVD of all their promos accompanies it), "A Final Hit" is neither necessary, nor definitive.

Leftfield never really had the kind of personality that distinguished them from their peers, producing excellent, but somewhat characterless music : it's no surprise that by far their biggest hit was helmed by Johnny Rotten, a man with enough personality to fill a stadium by himself.

In fact, "A Final Hit" sounds more like a compilation of vocalists remixed by the same people, and whilst it is bursting with some classics - "Open Up", "Release The Pressure", "Phat Planet" - it, more often than not, fails to sound like a greatest hits. Which is perhaps where Leftfields weakness lay : they never had the definitive breakthrough hit, nor were able to distinguish themselves enough from their contemporaries.

Stripped of their guest vocalists, Leftfield (like Death In Vegas) were an oddly bland unit, who were neither distinctive enough in a production or melodic sense to be viewed as anything other than a faceless dance band. Though their work - from the sublime and beautiful "Not Forgotten" to the final gasps of "Dusted" - carries with a distinctly urban sense of rhythm and immaculate production, it never gets inside your head the way that a great song does. I defy you to remember what "Original" sounds like. And you can't sing "Phat Planet", even though it has probably the best bassline since "White Lines".

But when they weren't not busy being forgettably brilliant, they produced some absolute classics with a phalanx of vocalists : "Afrika Shox" prowls like a hungry tiger, "Open Up" encourages a mass arson attack on Hollywood and is better than the sum total of Neil Young's career. Their reputation (sometimes undeserved, if their 2000 festival shows were any indication) as a legendary live act bears no fruit here.

As a primer "A Final Hit" is an excellent starter - but if you investigate the two albums from a scant, unprolific career ("Leftism" and the underperforming "Rhythm & Stealth") - you may never play it again.

Gone but not fogotten
This is a great place to start with Leftfield. I didn't really know them but I'm interested in this type of music so I thought I'd check them out. It has some great songs, my faves being Storm 3000, Song Of Life and Swords. There is a subtle beauty to a lot of their music. I love the graphic design of the front cover too. My only complaint is that they left off the awesome song Melt. Sure it wasn't a single but nor were some of the other songs on this collection, it is a classic. Other than that, if like me you'd rather have one conveniant CD then this is the way to go!