Review / 200 Words Or Less
Tommy Keene
You Hear Me-A Retrospective-1983-2009

Second Motion (2010) Sean K.

Tommy Keene – You Hear Me-A Retrospective-1983-2009 cover artwork
Tommy Keene – You Hear Me-A Retrospective-1983-2009 — Second Motion, 2010

2 disc greatest hits collection of Keene's work over his entire career. Disc #1 focuses on his eighties period of work. The most significant advantage to owning this release is having everything remastered here. The sound update is fantastic. Early crowd favorites like "Places That Are Gone" and "Nothing Can Change You" are here and should keep your stereo speakers humming. Unreleased versions of "Gold Town" and "Don't Sleep In The Daytime" round out this disc and bring another view to these great songs. Disc #2 continues on with Keene's more recent output. There's a raw live take on "Long Time Missing" as well as a previously unreleased 20/20 cover. The highlight for me on this record however is a stellar acoustic outtake of "Black and White New York." Maybe one day we will get an all acoustic album from Keene. This song proves how incredible that would sound. For fans that already have most of Keene's back catalogue, this is a truly valuable bookend to an impressive career that will have more rewards in the future for the rock music fan. For people who have never listened to this artist's important body of work, this is a good place to start.

9.5 / 10Sean K. • September 13, 2010

Tommy Keene – You Hear Me-A Retrospective-1983-2009 cover artwork
Tommy Keene – You Hear Me-A Retrospective-1983-2009 — Second Motion, 2010

Related features

Tommy Keene

Interviews

Related news

Gratitude Update

Posted in Bands on September 14, 2004

More Tommy Keene reviews

Tommy Keene

In the Late Bright
Second Motion (2009)

New release from this accomplished singer/guitarist finds him continuing to offer us great songs, which are really hard to come by these days. Keene handles the majority of the instruments here, save for longtime mainstay John Richardson on drums. "Save this Harmony" features a laid back groove and a fantastic melody to carry this one home. "Tomorrow's Gone Tonight" has … Read more