Review Summary: Tangents: The Tea Party Collection is a greatest hits album done right, and as such, is an indispensable album for any fan or soon-to-be fan.
The successful Canadian hard rock band, The Tea Party, made music from the 1990s up until 2005. Their musical style involved hard rock intertwined with the world music influence of mystical Indian and middle-eastern melodies. In the year 2000, with five albums under their belt and an uncertain future, The Tea Party released a greatest hits collection titled, Tangents: The Tea Party Collection. Five years later, due to creative differences, The Tea Party would eventually disband a year after their last released album, Seven Circles.
It is always debatable as to when a greatest hits collection should be released. The Tea Party, however, released theirs at the perfect time. All of their greatest hits are included in this album, and really, that’s all you can ask for. Sure, the non-inclusion of their first single, ‘The River’, is an eyebrow raiser. Also, the superior ‘Transmission’ would have fit nicely here, but all fans bring their unique gripes.
‘Sister Awake’ and ‘The Bazaar’ are the most obvious choices here with their middle-eastern instrumentation combined with hard rock. These songs capture the essence of the band, and are perhaps the most familiar songs. ‘The Bazaar’ has a guitar riff that will implant the song in your mind, and ‘Sister Awake’ has a mysterious aura about it which is typical of the band. ‘Fire in the Head’ is also similar to these songs, but is distinctly powerful, and was also higher in its chart position. ‘Temptation’ and ‘Babylon’ were also necessary for this album, since they showcase the band’s industrial phase.
While the blistering hard rock songs are included, also included are there emotional, introspective songs. ‘Heaven Coming Down’ is an essential choice; it is the band’s only #1 Canadian single, and was also nominated for “Best Single” at the 2000 Juno Awards. Now we’re getting somewhere. Another captivating song is ‘Psychopomp’, written by the lead singer and previous drummer when they were only teenagers. It is an extremely minimal and progressive song beginning with quiet noise and simple piano playing. Soon, drums and strings are added until the electric guitar bursts in. ‘Walking Wounded’ is also an excellent composition in its own right, and is an excellent starter for the album.
This greatest hits album also includes most of the band’s B-sides. The best of these is ‘Lifeline’, which would have made an excellent addition to any of their released albums. The others, ‘Waiting on a Sign’, and the The Rolling Stones cover, ‘Paint It, Black’, are alright, but nothing special. What is great though, is the song, ‘Save Me (Remix)’. The added ambience gives the song a greater middle-eastern feel than previous, and as such, is better than the original version. The song also claims the drummer’s best performance with constant tom-tom hits, and some double-bass pedal at the end.
Tangents: The Tea Party Collection is an essential album for long-time fans of the band, as well as newcomers. All of the essential songs are here to satisfy newcomers, and the B-sides will surely get die-hard fans drooling. The album arguably holds the band’s best work, and if that is not enough, there is also the album art which won the 2001 Juno Award for “Best Artwork”. There are no slip-ups in the album, it is a solid collection of the band’s most popular songs. What more could you possibly want?
Recommended Songs:
- Walking Wounded
- Temptation
- Psychopomp
- Sister Awake
- The Bazaar
- Save Me (Remix)
- Fire in the Head
- Heaven Coming Down
- Babylon
- Lifeline
