Almost all of these songs are slower paced and moodier than the originals. The polish and production of albums like Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights and Love Metal have been completely removed, and replaced with a stripped down sadness that really brings out the meaning in the lyrics. Lets take it track by track…

The Sacrament has never been one of my favorite HIM songs, but the darker keyboards on the Didrhythm Remix give a new dynamic to the song . I’m happy already!

The Funeral Of Hearts (Acoustic Version) also comes across as much more heartfelt. It kind of makes me wish Johnny Cash could have covered this. The song has always had a playful side to it, which has been completely removed, to great effect.

Join Me In Death (Strongroom Mix) doesn’t quite match up to the original, which in my opinion would be just about impossible anyway. It’s not really changed much, just the sound is a little muffled. The original version changed the course of my life though, so I can’t expect a remix to top it.

Close To The Flame (The Rappula Tapes) may be better than the original! There’s several songs from Deep Shadows on here and the aspects of that cd that some fans didn’t like as much such as being “too slick” or “overproduced” have been rectified.

In Joy And Sorrow is one of the few songs from Brilliant Highlights that I really like, but HOLY CRAP is the String Version better! It‘s downright depressing, but in a good way. I‘ve always taken this song to be a love song for the unloved and the acoustic guitar and violin bring that home more than ever before. For HIM fans this is worth the price of the cd by itself.

It’s All Tears (Unplugged Radio Live) has some Spanish influence to it. Not a bad thing, just very different from what HIM fans might be used to. That might make the song a bit inaccessible to some. One of the things that fans do love about the band is vocalist Ville Valo’s contrast of very deep, sinister lows with higher, sweeter notes. He’s all over both here, and Ville fans should love it.

When Love And Death Embrace (AOR Radio Version) isn’t much different from the original. Decent song, but kind of pointless.

Buried Alive By Love (Deliverance Version) is on an album of ballads? I love th original version of this song so I wasn;t sure what to expect but this is pretty awesome. Again, the slickness of recent cds is gone resulting in whatever glimmer of hope this songs message once had is now utterly defeated by love. I don’t prefer this to the original, but I’m really glad that I heard it! The best song on Love metal is now the best song on Uneasy Listening.

Gone With The Sin (O.D. Version) would be the song I’d play to fans who had just discovered the band through Ville’s work with Apocalyptica. The violins accompanying Valo are haunting and would be welcome on future album tracks.

Salt In Our Wounds (Thulsa Doom Version) sarts kind of doomy until the chorus hits, which fits more with the tone of the cd. This has never been one of my favorite songs by the band and this doesn’t change that.

Please Don’t Let It Go is another one of my least favorite HIM songs. Wow, the song selection for this thing is kind of baffling! This is just an acoustic version of the song.

One Last Time (Rockfield Madness Version) is not really that different from the original, and like Join Me In death, its just sounds a bit muffled. Here’s the problem with remixing songs from Razorblade Romance, that album is lightening in a bottle. It’s tragic and uplifting, sadistic and sweet. How do you recapture that? Besides that, though it wouldn’t fit in on this release, there is another version of this song that every HIM fan should hear. It’s called The 9th Circle, and it’s a kick ass hard rock song with alternate lyrics that should definitely be included on a future compilation like this.

For You (Unplugged Radio Live) is exactly what the title suggests. Again, including so many songs from Brilliant Highlights, which many consider to be the bands weakest release is a little offsetting at first, but it’s good to hear these rougher versions of the songs. I MUCH prefer this to the original.

The Path (P.S. Version) is exactly that. It’s completely different lyrics that I suppose are meant to be a Part 2 of sorts. Cool. Just as I started thinking that the production should have been closer to the original to blend the songs together better it turns around and does just that. I’ve always really liked this song anyway.

Lose You Tonight (Thulsa Doom Extended Mix) is all about the mood. It wants you to sit back and feel the song inside you. Like Salt In Our Wounds the songs softer choruses work better than the verses.

Overall, I would say that those of you who are already HIM fans should buy this cd. Several songs ar quite good, while others at least give an interesting view of songs you already know. The title of this collection implies that there will be future volumes, and though it’s great to hear the softer side, I hope the next volume focuses on heavier tracks. There are some amazing unreleased songs from HIM’s history that deserve to be heard. The only drawback to a release like this is the concept of over saturating the market. After the success of razorblade Romance and just prior to Dark Light Universal flooded stores with reissues of HIM’s back catalog. When a new fan who had only heard one song on the radio walks into a cd store and sees that the band they are interested in had released 5 albums within one year, I think it could have had a negative impact on the band. Keep in mind that most people thought that HIM was a new band, and there’s nothing really wrong with them not having heard of the band before. So here’s what you should do. Established Him fans…buy this, it’s worth it. For those of you who enjoy Dark Light but haven’t caught up with the previous cds, go ahead and buy this too, as it’s much cheaper than the import greatest hits album. New fans who haven’t bought any Him cds yet, go buy Dark Light or Razorblade Romance first so you’ll get a more accurate view of what the band is all about.