Bow Wow Wow - Wild in the U.S.A.

20 of the new wave legends greatest hits remixed live, including mixes by Wayne Hussey of the Mission U.K., Kevin Haskins of Love & Rockets and Girl Eats Boy. Contains versions of 'Do You Wanna Hold Me', 'I Want Candy', 'C30 C60 C90 Go!' 'W.O.R.K.' and 'Louis Quartorze'. Album Description

Great bands don't last forever.

I love this band. But Annabella Lwin in her mid 30's doesn't have the power and youthful vibrancy that she did in her mid teens. You can hear her struggle to recreate that vibe, without complete success. Also they've lost their original guitarist, Matt Ashman, who'd contributed significantly to their sound.
This album sounds like a fun live-show, and it's also very raw - unlike their highly produced studio albums. But the recording quality isn't great either - it all sounds muffled. They were imitating their younger-selves here. So if you're a big fan it might be worthwhile, but don't pay a premium for it. December 22, 2008

admitted bow wow wow fan here...

ok, so i admit that i probably like this album because i was actually at one of the concerts that was recorded. (sometimes i can even imagine i hear myself yelling anabella's name...) but in re-listening to it, i hear energy, enthusiasm, and lively sense of fun. the band doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, but they do realize that they have fans who are there for the music. anabella lwin sounds great which is impressive given that most of her original vocals were recorded when she was in her teens. the play list is a bit of a rehash of previous albums - but that's a given considered the limited amount of material the band put out in the first place. and in honesty, i'm not listening to bow wow wow 'cuz of their new material. May 29, 2001

Too bad...

It's bad, as it is, when a band mixes, remixes, re-remixes, slices and dices 15 year old material.

I count this as the third album containing basically the same songs (girl bites dog) and (the best of BWW). Would have been nice to hear some "from the archives" stuff, or even (gasp) some NEW stuff.

My very first impression was basically outrage. Listening to the first cut of "Do you wanna hold me" (track 4) reminds one of a Disco Roller Derby. It's as if someone gave the producer a copy of "Rebirth" or other such synth capability and said "come on old chap make it FUNKAY." The second version later in the CD is better (no bogus studio effects).

After you clear track 7, it gets better (the live version of "Sexy Eiffel Tower" is especially of note).

I wasn't to cool with the fact that three different mixes of "I want candy" were included. I've always hated that song, now it's three times a loser.

OK, so maybe it isn't a One Star wonder. I'll upgrade it to 2, but only on the merits of its nostalgic value, not of its breakthrough new mix.

To buy or not to buy? I say wait for it to hit the "Clearance and fire sale" rack or similar special page here at AMZN. At 3.99 it's a steal. At $12.99 it's like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer, it's probably better to refrain. January 16, 1999

More reviews at Amazon.com ...