Everything but the Girl Album: “Baby, The Stars Shine Bright”

The melodies in this compilation are hauting! It has been five years since I heard it last and it's as if it were yesterday. I have yet to forget ever lyric and every melodic rift. This collection deserves your best bottle of red wine, many candles, a chill, rainy, Sunday evening and a special someone you love. Whether you sit and listen or dance to the beautiful ballads, you will not be disappointed. Each song has its own story and its own message. It touches the scale from ballad to big-band and should appeal to listeners of all ages. If you are a romantic, THIS IS A MUST-HAVE! I don't even begrudge the person who stole it from me. At least s/he will get a chance to experience this modern masterpiece.

This album epitomises perfection, and yes the stars do shine bright. I have bought this album three times as I have had friends "borrow" it. The music is haunting, with every word and every lyric, every piece of music having some form of meaning. Perhaps I could say it's like Shakespeare, except it's EBTG. The album takes the listener on a musical journey, starting from "come on home" right through to "Little Hitlers". The music is symphonic, tied in with the ever haunting voice of Tracey Thorne. The duo's lyrics appear to etch out every human emotion ever felt, and put it into truly original music. If you are ever looking for an album which has lyrics that actually mean something, and evoke emotions in the listener's heart - then buy any of EBTG's albums. This one is my favourite, it reminds me of Punga trees in Auckland's Eastern suburbs, with stars shining above the metropolis. Truly, this album makes one believe that baby the stars DO shine bright.

This re-issue is so impressive. The casebound book is gorgeous, the new liner notes and comments from Tracey and Ben give you a more personal insight into the record. This re-issue is worth it just for those minor things, but what really makes this AMAZING is the bonus disc of extra songs. B-Sides, Rarities, Non-Album singles, Demos, Live and Alternate versions make all Four of EBTG's albums with Sire (Blanco Y Negro) any collector's "must have" item.

Baby The Stars Shine Bright, and boy do they ever on this album. The full orchestra add something endearing to this glorious album. Come On Home is so lyrically perfect and heartbreaking. Don't Leave Me Behind makes you want to stop so you don't leave anything behind. Don't Let The Teardrops Rust Your Shining Heart is sweet and lovely. Little Hitler has such a great message and it's catchy tune will have you humming it all day if you aren't careful. This is one of my all time favorite EBTG albums and I recommend it to anyone and everyone and often too! It's Pop the way Pop should be.

I discovered EBTG in 1986 when one rainy night we met this girl from Paris who popped in a beat up cassette copy of music that blew us all away. That cassette turned out to be EBTG's Eden. It wasn't available in the states, so I ordered the imported CD from Europe along with this one, Love Not Money and Tracy's solo Distant Thunder. As much as I LOVE Eden, I also love this release. If I play the first 4 tracks no matter what mood I'm in I will be singing at the top of my lungs and be in a higher mood, albeit a bit melancholy.

If I had to choose between Eden and this release I think I know which one I would pick, but I can't say for sure. I saw them live a few times after they were officially introduced in America. Is there anyone with a better voice than Tracy? I think not. She was and is enchanting. For me Baby the Stars Shine Bright was a show case for her vocals and it shined more brightly than any other release from EBTG. My love affair with EBTG ended with this release, or maybe the next one, Idlewild. I love electronica music but I wasn't captivated with the direction they took when I assume Ben took more creative control. I guess I would say that I love EBTG and I love house music but I didn't love them put together. Probably because I indentified EBTG with their earlier releases which were lyric driven vocal music.

Even though I still have the original CD I bought way back when I'm ordering this new one to hear the demos and the B sides. My recommendation is to BUY THIS IMMEDIATELY. I can't see how you would be disappointed.

Although I don't feel that this is EBTG's best work it is still a nice listen. My favorite song on this CD is by far "Cross My Heart" because Tracey Thorn's voice is impeccable and very rich on this song. The other songs are carried by the instrumentality which compliments Tracey's voice so well. Even though I gave it only three stars,(because EBTG's other CDs are more superior)I would still recommend it to this group's fans if not for any other reason than to have a complete collection of this talented band's works.