View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (29 ratings)
- Date Released: January 1, 1994
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Goth
- Label: Jungle
The best-of from this three-dimensional version of the Sisters of Mercy.
-
We Say...
Like the more established Sisters of Mercy, the March Violets emerged from Leeds, England, in the early '80s with brooding songs driven by shadowy guitar stabs and programmed rock drumming. But their best-of collection The Botanic Verses proves the Violets were less apocalyptic and one-dimensional than the Sisters. Sure, vocalist Simon Denbigh sounds like a vampire, but the Violets frequently reached beyond the black, threading syncopated dance beats and pop melodies into their cobwebbed creations.
-
They Say...
Replacing early vinyl-only compilations as the definitive history of the band's earliest days, The Botanic Verses -- groaningly obvious pun of a title aside -- makes for mighty fine listening. If the March Violets never quite escaped the shadow of fellow Leeds denizens and early supporters the Sisters of Mercy, it's not for lack of trying -- Denbigh was no Andrew Eldritch clone in terms of singing style (though, like Eldritch, he clearly loved his David Bowie collection), while the dark, aggro surge of the music carved its own wired and romantic path. Guitarist Ashton and bassist Elliott found a reasonable space between Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Bauhaus for their respective approaches, and were as much masters of shade, throb, and scalpel sharp guitar lines as anyone. Perhaps inevitably beginning and ending with the mighty punch of "Snake Dance" -- the initial version is the extended 12" mix, and arguably superior in terms of all around drama to the original -- The Botanic Verses isn't organized by any particular order of recording. Full recording details are provided for the trainspotters -- noted producer Flood got some of his earliest credits on a variety of tracks -- while it's very conveniently noted whether Garland or Murray was duetting with Denbigh at any particular point. It's no surprise in the end why the band essentially ended after Denbigh's departure in later years; when he was around, the tension usually built to the breaking point. The male/female vocal dynamic was definitely one of the March Violets' strong points, and their most successful tracks push that hard, whether it's the more immediately radio friendly dance-rock fury of "Walk Into the Sun" or the murkier edge of "Children on Stun." Plenty of other winners surface throughout: the slow-then-fast dank funk of "Slow Drip Lizard," the wonderfully vicious "Radiant Boys," the blunt "1 2 I Love You."
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Snake Dance |
6:14 |
|
| 02. | |
Walk Into The Sun |
4:51 |
|
| 03. | |
Slaow Drip Lizard |
4:51 |
|
| 04. | |
Lights Go Out |
5:28 |
|
| 05. | |
Essence |
5:08 |
|
| 06. | |
Crow Baby |
4:02 |
|
| 07. | |
1 2 I Love You |
3:07 |
|
| 08. | |
Grooving In Green |
3:01 |
|
| 09. | |
It's Hot |
3:24 |
|
| 10. | |
Long Pig |
3:18 |
|
| 11. | |
Steam |
3:23 |
|
| 12. | |
Fodder |
2:36 |
|
| 13. | |
Radiant Boys |
3:57 |
|
| 14. | |
Bon Bon Babies |
2:56 |
|
| 15. | |
Religious As Hell |
3:05 |
|
| 16. | |
Children On Stun |
2:57 |
|
| 17. | |
Crow Bait |
5:13 |
|
| 18. | |
Snake Dance |
4:06 |
|
18 Total Tracks, 71:37 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like The March Violets, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by The March Violets fans
Credits
- March Violets - Producer // March Violets - Main Performer // Flood - Producer // Ken Giles - Engineer // Gil Norton - Producer // Gil Norton - Engineer // Walter Samuel - Engineer // Rosie - Vocals // Tim Parry - Producer // Kevin Lycett - Producer // Cleo - Vocals // John Spence - Engineer
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC