Disco de Falco: “Greatest Hits [BMG/Gig]”

A near thorough anthology of Falco's best composed songs. If you wouldn't think of stooping to the Abba, Michael Jackson or Backstreet Boys pop level, Falco remains a confident (if temporary) exception for die-hard Rock `n Roll fans. Yes, still with a commercial edge incorporated to the sound, but nevertheless a good career representation of a man who certainly gave his most with the relatively short time he had to live. The first half of the CD probably has his greatest material (-Hoch wie nie, +Macho Macho) and is mostly derived from his best album `Falco 3`. Would have preferred if Manner Des Westen - Any Kind Of Land for sure and maybe Tango The Night had been included on this list but I guess in the mind of the producer that would have left only two tracks off that album not considered hits and been too much.

Unfortunately, the songs arranged on the collection's second half or `B side` began to seem more or less like the first 8-9 songs except with minor variations and do not add a great deal of originality to the list as the sounds and even lyrics become something of a blended re-mix. However, still an all-round very respectable compilation and again a nice change of pace for Rock enthusiasts. Both talent and energy prevail here over any Top-10 intent...

I don't know much of Falco's songs, which some of them I happened to hear in this CD. I can't say that you'll like this CD 100% since all of us have different tastes. Though, I can say that this CD has a very good sound quality and (in my very own personal opinion) all the songs are great.

Now, something about the "Rock me Amadeus" version on this CD. Do not expect to find here the "US version" since this is THE original one. I have 3 different versions of this song and now that I have this one I can tell you that is really good.

The mix version of "Der Kommissar" is very good, it does resemble the original one; not like the one on the re-mix collection.

To me, all the songs are great. Falco had that "something different" that made his music special. I'm very pleased with this purchase.

I would have given this CD a five except for my disappointment with the first song, Rock Me Amadeus, as it's the German single version rather than the delicious monster version we heard here in the U.S.

That said, the short version of Amadeua and the remainder of this album is QUITE enjoyable, the best being the German renditions of Der Kommissar and Junge Roemer (Young Romans). Vienna Calling and Macho Macho are high-energy and will have your bottom twitching- or at least your feet. Jeanny, America, etc. are good songs- but without the intense beat. You can also have some fun looking up the english words to the music, if you wish.

I very much enjoyed doing a bit of research on Falco (was quite sad to learn of his untimely death in an auto crash) and his music. I had no idea his first albums were considered excellent by the critics, or that Falco had such a huge following in Europe- as he well-deserved.

What makes this CD great is Falco's amazing energy and sense of FUN- which comes across so well. He is cocky, sexy, and makes most of these songs unique by his sheer personality. He may have been, as some people have written, a meteor that quickly soared and crashed- but oh, the flash was stupendous. In the words of Junge Roemer:

The night is ours until the morning, we have illusions

It's not the end of the journey, there is always a tomorrow and

There are dimensions, with illusions and feelings

Give me more ...

Young Romans - there is a night before each day

and that price is still to pay

Never stop this old erosion phantastic voyage!

It took a long time for a good Falco compilation to be available in the United States, and for that I am thrilled that this album was released. However, Falco released eight original albums in his career and only three are represented here.

Falco's music over the years journeyed to some very exciting places: most are familiar with EMOTIONAL, featuring Jeanny Part 2, in my opinion one of his finest works. WIENER BLUT includes a lot of great pop rock songs, many of which I think are more accessible than some on this collection. The little-known 1990 release DATA DeGroove is Falco's most esoteric and original album, really very different than any other. 1992's NACHTFLUG is an exciting dark album with some great tunes. His final album "Out Of The Dark" contains some real gems, especially the title track and 'Egoist.'

I would recommend this album as a starting point, but then go online and get some of these other albums or seek out European compilations that are more inclusive.

Falco was best known for Rock Me Amadeus, but the other songs he did were very good dance pop. Vienna Calling was just as effective. But about Amadeus, this song was even played on some R&B stations in early 1986, given its urban slant to it. They played that lengthy remix where that fellow was listing dates about Amadeus' life and this buildup factor for a minute. This song had a lot going on, maybe several genres clashing together in one song. Falco's rapping, a female singer with a sexy voice, hard hitting beats and rhythms from the musicians, the big chorus from background singers, even violins playing at the end to acknowledge Wolfgang Amadeus. Pop, some rap, rock, classical were all within one song. Perhaps one of the few artists that does that today is Kanye West. At first, I thought that no one would like Falco's Amadeus because people were comfortable with the simple formula of most pop songs and not listening to chance taking music. Thought he would become a one-hit wonder because doing these kinds of songs are rare. But people ate it up and it went to No. 1 in America and other countries. Sometimes, he sounded like David Bowie. But his flamboyant style, his lyrics about the excessiveness in the '80s and international themes are what make him stand out. He was far more than just that one song--come on, he did several albums! I was sorry to hear about his death in 1998. Made me get his earlier stuff. He will be remembered as one of the more daring artists to come out of the '80s.