This is Really Something
| This is Really Something | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | August 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1977–1981 | |||
| Genre | New Wave, rock, pop | |||
| Length | 112:33 | |||
| Label | Mushroom | |||
| The Sports chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternate cover | ||||
 The Definitive Collection (2004) | ||||
This is Really Something is a greatest hits album by Australian rock and pop band The Sports, released in August 1997. The album was re-released in August 2004 under the title The Definitive Collection.
Background and release
[edit]The Sports formed in 1976 and were signed to Mushroom Records in 1977. Their first Australian hit was "Boys! (What Did the Detective Say?)" in 1978 but they cracked the UK chart with "Who Listens to the Radio" in 1979. They broke up in 1981 after just four albums, three of which peaked within the top 20 in Australia.[1][2]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Sydney Morning Herald |   [3] |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
Bernard Zuel of Sydney Morning Herald believes if The Sports had been English they would have been huge. saying ""Boys! (What Did the Detective Say?)" and "Who Listens to the Radio" are classic new wave moments" adding "it's in the collection of could-have-been/should-have-been hits from 1979-81 that this compilation provides its worth. Great pop songs played well - rare enough at any time, a treasure all the time.
Jason Ankeny from AllMusic said "The two-disc, 36-track complete anthology paints a definitive portrait of the Sports' career; split between singles and album tracks (compiled on the first disc) and rare and unreleased material (found on the second), the set is a solid introduction to the work of a sadly underrecognized group, a kind of Australian counterpart to the music of Elvis Costello, Graham Parker or Joe Jackson."
An Amazon reviewer said "This definitive collection features 2CDs each containing the quintessential The Sports tunes including "Who Listens to the Radio", "Don't Throw Stones" and "Strangers on a Train".[5]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Boys! (What Did the Detective Say?)" | Stephen Cummings, Ed Bates Andrew Pendlebury | Reckless | 2:27 |
| 2. | "When You Walk in the Room" | Jackie DeShannon | Reckless | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Reckless" | Cummings, Bates Andrew Pendlebury | Reckless | 2:32 |
| 4. | "I Put a Light On" | Cummings, Bates | Reckless | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Who Listens to the Radio" | Cummings, Pendlebury | Don't Throw Stones | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Suspicious Minds" | Martin Armiger | Don't Throw Stones | 3:23 |
| 7. | "Don't Throw Stones" | Cummings | Don't Throw Stones | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Wedding Ring" | Stevie Wright/George Young, Harry Vanda | O.K, U.K! | 2:04 |
| 9. | "Suddenly" | Cummings, Pendlebury | Suddenly | 2:35 |
| 10. | "Blue Hearts" | Armiger, Cummings | Suddenly | 4:05 |
| 11. | "Strangers on a Train" | Armiger | Suddenly | 2:41 |
| 12. | "Perhaps" | Cummings | Suddenly | 3:18 |
| 13. | "Black Stockings (For Chelsea)" | Armiger, Cummings | Sondra | 3:28 |
| 14. | "Lucky Shop" | Armiger, Cummings | Sondra | 2:20 |
| 15. | "How Come" | Armiger, Cummings | Sondra | 3:11 |
| 16. | "This is Really Something" | Armiger, Cummings | Sondra | 2:45 |
| 17. | "Stop the Baby Talking" | Cummings, Pendlebury | Sondra | 3:06 |
| 18. | "Passionette" | Armiger, Cummings | Sondra | 2:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Twist Senorita" | Cummings, Bates | Fair Game | 2:26 |
| 2. | "Cruisin' in a Citroën" | Cummings, Bates | from various artists release Debutantes | 2:52 |
| 3. | "Reckless (1979 re-recorded version)" | Cummings, Bates Pendlebury | Don't Throw Stones | 4:11 |
| 4. | "Sunshine Superman" | Donovan | The Sports Play Dylan (and Donovan) | 3:11 |
| 5. | "Ballad of a Thin Man" | Bob Dylan | The Sports Play Dylan (and Donovan) | 4:46 |
| 6. | "You're a Big Girl Now" | Dylan | The Sports Play Dylan (and Donovan) | 4:02 |
| 7. | "Fourth Time Around" | Dylan | The Sports Play Dylan (and Donovan) | 2:58 |
| 8. | "All the Tired Horses" | Dylan | The Sports Play Dylan (and Donovan) | 1:58 |
| 9. | "Worst Kind" | Cummings, Pendlebury, Joe Camilleri | Don't Throw Stones | 2:48 |
| 10. | "Terror Hits" | Armiger | Don't Throw Stones | 3:40 |
| 11. | "I Fought the Law" | Sonny Curtis | previously unreleased | 2:00 |
| 12. | "When I Write This Book" | Cummings, Pendlebury | previously unreleased | 3:48 |
| 13. | "Drug Sluts" | Armiger, Cummings | b-side of "How Come" single | 2:54 |
| 14. | "O Narcissus" | Armiger, Cummings | previously unreleased | 2:32 |
| 15. | "All The Girls" | Armiger, Cummings | previously unreleased | 3:21 |
| 16. | "Can't Ever Decide" | Cummings, Pendlebury | Live at Bombay Rock | 3:25 |
| 17. | "Hit Single" | Armiger | Live at Bombay Rock | 3:38 |
| 18. | "Live Work and Play" | Cummings, Pendlebury | Live at Bombay Rock | 3:04 |
References
[edit]- ^ "The Definitive Collection by The Sports". JB HiFi. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 288. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "MEDIA: Reviews: "This Is Really Something", The Sports". Love Town. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "The Sports - Complete Anthology". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "Definitive Collection by The Sports". amazon. Retrieved 21 October 2017.