Disco de HIM: “And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits, 1997-2004”

HIM is a band that has been around in Europe for a long time - and yes, there is a reason for all the hype!Forget about the 3-star review - afterall, the reviewer even admits to just checking them out. But your common sense should tell you that no band can be judged fairly based on any one CD - most especially a greatest hits one!This is a hard-working band who has paid their dues, and they deserve the attention they're finally getting in the states - but the attention isn't new to them. They have had a huge fan-base in Europe for years now. To respond to the overkill of the lead singer's presence on this and most of the other CD's, Ville Valo has said:If my look sells the band, fine. If it doesn't, fine.(loosely quoted!)Another thing Ville has said, again, loosely quoted:We do not wish to be artistically confined by a trying to fit into a genre "label". But to try to appease an apparent need that we humans have for making everything fit into a nice box, the band came up with a label for themselves: "Love Metal". You won't hear too much of the "metal" on this collection, though.Just understand that like any greatest hits album, you are getting what the record label deemed the most "sell-able" hits, and not necessarily some of the pieces that would really give you an authentic feel for what this band is about.This collection does come close to being a collection of love songs; rest assured that Him does much more than that...you are getting the pretty, polished-up version of the band here.And I still think this collection is a MUST-HAVE! You'll get a great taste of Ville's incredible gift for turning a poetic phrase, and hitting those high-notes like a soprano from the Vienna Boys Choir. His voice can be downright lovely...But if you really like this, then do yourself the justice of trying Love Metalor Dark Light next. Or if you want to jump right into the gritty side of the band, go for Venus Doom. You almost won't believe you're listening to the same band you hear on this CD.But you'll be getting a much broader sense of what this band is all about and why they keep adding to their base of die-hard fans!They are truly versatile and no matter who they might remind you of, in the end, they have turned out to be their own entity. I am expecting to see this band continue to evolve and explore more sounds for a long, long time before their "career has run its course"!Now give 'em a listen and decide for yourself!Meanwhile, I'm giving this collection the 5 stars it deserves!!FALL FOR THE HYPE - YOU'LL LOVE IT!

AND LOVE SAID NO: THE GREATEST HITS 1997-2004 is obviously H.I.M.'s first-ever greatest hits compilation, featuring only the best of H.I.M.'s music, featuring that of two brand new songs entitled, "And Love Said No", which turned out to be the album's title track and first single release, and "Solitary Man", a cover of Neil Diamond's original, the album's second single release. The rest of the album is jam packed with H.I.M.'s greatest hits from 1997 (GREATEST LOVESONGS VOL. 666) to 2004 (LOVE METAL).

AND LOVE SAID NO

New song. First single from the album. One hell of a tune. The song is perfect to start off the album, as well as be the album's first single release.

JOIN ME IN DEATH (Razorblade Mix)

"Razorblade Mix" from the album RAZORBLADE ROMANCE. Awesome remix.

BURIED ALIVE BY LOVE

From the album LOVE METAL (2003). Great song.

HEARTACHE EVERY MOMENT

From the album DEEP SHADOWS AND BRILLIANT HIGHLIGHTS (2001). One of my favorites.

SOLITARY MAN

New song. Second single from the album. Great cover, but I never liked Neil Diamond.

RIGHT HERE IN MY ARMS

From the album RAZORBLADE ROMANCE (1999). Another great one.

THE FUNERAL OF HEARTS

From the album LOVE METAL (2003). Awesome tune.

IN JOY AND SORROW

From the album DEEP SHADOWS AND BRILLIANT HIGHLIGHTS (2001). Great song.

YOUR SWEET SIX SIX SIX (Re-Recorded Version)

Original version from the album GREATEST LOVE SONGS VOL. 666 (1997). Re-Recorded Version from the album RAZORBLADE ROMANCE (1999). Whether I'm hearing this version or the album version, I still bounce my head to this one. Awesome tune.

GONE WITH THE SIN

From the album RAZORBLADE ROMANCE (1999). Seems as though the RAZORBLADE ROMANCE album was H.I.M's most popular album. Great song.

WICKED GAME (Re-Recorded Version)

Original version from the album GREATEST LOVE SONGS VOL. 666 (1997). Re-recorded version from the album RAZORBLADE ROMANCE (1999). Awesome cover.

THE SACRAMENT

From the album LOVE METAL (2003). Great song.

CLOSE TO THE FLAME

From the album DEEP SHADOWS AND BRILLIANT HIGHLIGHTS (2001). Awesome tune.

POISON GIRL

From the album RAZORBLADE ROMANCE (1999). Awesome tune, describing how some girls can be deadly poison.

PRETENDING

From the album DEEP SHADOWS AND BRILLIANT HIGHLIGHTS (2001). Awesome tune.

WHEN LOVE AND DEATH EMBRACE

From the album GREATEST LOVE SONGS VOL. 666 (1997). Great song.

If you don't know what HIM is all about, check out this album. Its a 'greatest hits' so you get all the progression from then to now. Morbid and romantic, with a bit of an old school rock feel. If Sabbath or Motorhead wrote more love songs and weren't so angry. Or a more aggressive Bowie! My favorite band! Plus, you get an awesome Neil Diamond cover!

HIM is essentially a more pop-oriented, pinup-ready version of Type O Negative, minus that band's sarcasm and dark humor. Their accessible brand of gothic metal, trademark "heartagram" icon, and frontman Ville Valo's good looks and crooning vocals made them a huge hit with the Hot Topic set, and their music actually lives up to the hype. It's heavy, catchy and has a great spirit.

I totally enjoy the band's music, but it got to the point where I couldn't really tell which songs came from which albums. They're all good, but they all stick to a formula. That's usually a sign for me that it's time to trade in my studio albums for a good compilation, and that's where And Love Said No - Greatest Hits 1997-2004 came in.

And Love Said No collects 14 of the best tracks from HIM's first four albums, including the essential "Heartache Every Moment," "Right Here In My Arms," "Your Sweet 666" and of course the devastating cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game," plus two new songs - the title track and another powerful cover, this time the Neil Diamond staple "Solitary Man."

There are other HIM collections out there, but And Loved Said No is the ideal HIM collection for newcomers as well as those of us who enjoy HIM's sound but don't feel like it's necessary to own all of the individual albums. Serious HIM fans will need to check it out as well, for the new songs.

If you are a fan of H.I.M., this is the album for you. All of the best songs.