Track Listing

1. Clampdown
2. I Don't Wanna Talk About It
3. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters- Live Version
4. Let Me Go Easy- Live Version
5. Winthrop
6. Free Of Hope
7. Shed Your Skin- Tom Morello Remix
8. Never Stop- 1986 E.P. Version
9. Ghost- Demo Version
10. Uncle John's Band
11. I'll Give You My Skin (featuring Michael Stipe)
12. Free In You- Dave Cooley Remix
13. Point Hope
14. Ramblin' Round- Live Version (with Ani Difranco)
15. Cold As Ice- Live Version
16. Walk Your Valley
17. It Won't Take Long
18. Finlandia- Live Version

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18179 in Music
• Published on: 2005
• Released on: 2005-06-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Limited Edition, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .17 pounds

Amazon.com
Have the Indigo Girls hit the doldrums? Their concerts of late often prove to not only be lackluster, but dated, as singer/songwriter/guitarists Amy Ray and Emily Saliers veer dangerously close to seeming more like relics than icons. Part of that stems from their reliance on familiar material, as if their writing has slowed to a trickle. Now comes more suggestion of that in Rarities, an album made up of leftovers, odds and ends, demos, other previously unreleased material, and contributions to side albums. The good news is that there is much here to enjoy, all of it wrapped in the Girls' trademark corduroy-and-silk harmonies. Their demo version of "Ghost" is fraught with fevered longing, a remix of "Shed Your Skin" delights with its swirling, hypnotic soundscape, and the cameos by Michael Stipe ("I'll Give You My Skin") and Ani DiFranco ("Ramblin' Round") resonate with artistry and star power. But the 18-song album bloats with less-than-sparkling cuts (for example, a cacophonous rendering of Vic Chesnutt's "Free of Hope," two early and undistinguished songs from both Emily and Amy, and a techno-meets-country remix of "Free in You"). In the end, this is more a collector's disc than a window on the duo's "rarest" moments. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews

Not so rare after all
I am a huge Indigo Girls fan, and have been looking forward to this disc of rareties for some time now. However, there's not a lot here that's actually rare...more a collection of one-offs compiled for the first time. And anyone who's connected to the Internet these days, or participates in any sort of Indigo fandom, will already have these tracks available on their handy hard drives or on traded bootlegs.

What completely new tracks there are, several are rather awful: "Free In You remix" and a strange, over-earnest version of "It Won't Take Long" that sounds like everything bad "folk music" ever was; and the demo version of "Ghost" here just doesn't meet the previous standards set by the amazing, near-flawless recording for 1200 Curfews. And where is "Blood Quantum?" Where is "If You Live Like That?" Where are some of the inspired covers they've played live over the years?

Obviously, the disc is as lengthy as a disc will allow, and I suppose you could ask "what happened to" over and over and never make everyone happy, however, this collection seems without place or reason. Are we supposed to see some sort of growth here? If so, the track order is lost on me. Are we supposed to get a feeling for the far-reaching experiments a couple of world-class songwriters might explore? Well, then why all the old material?

Their studio efforts continue to shine -- both as a duo on "All That We Let In," and also on Amy Ray's newest solo project "Prom" -- I just can't help feeling disappointed.

Finally, for the last 14 months or so (until they became saturated with requests) the Indigo's management asked fans to contribute suggestions for this long-awaited collection. I can't help but wonder, are these re-hashed war horses what all of us have been aching for?

Not for the Novice or Seasoned Fan, only for the Middle.
I consider myself a die-hard (seasoned) fan, and I was greatly disappointed in this collection. More than two-thirds of the songs are previously released, so I was glad I could only purchase the 6 songs I needed. Most of the 6 actual "new" tracks are available in a poorer quality elsewhere. I am not criticizing the Indigo Girls for this redundant release, they asked their fans to vote on the songs we most wanted on this collection. This collection will seem weak and unrepresentative to the novice listener; as the duo has said many times "Rarities" demonstrates their growth as songwriters and performers.

The overall message is: this collection is for the middle, those of you that fall somewhere between a novice and die-hard fan. If your rarities collection already includes most of the songs on "Rarities," then buy the few songs you need individually. If you only own 1 or 2 Indigo Girl CDs (or tapes), then skip this one for now and go with something else like "Retrospective," "All That We Let In," or "Come On Now Social." You will be much happier in the long run, as those CDs are more representative of the duo's songwritting and abilities. However, if you own most of their CDs and you are interested in understanding their development and influences (that you don't already know), then I highly recommend this collection.

AWESOME! THANKS INDIGO GIRLS!!!
I was so happy to receive my copy of this album! For Indigo Girl Fans, it's a wonderful treat. I am so happy to see "I don't wanna talk about it" from the Philadelphia Soundtrack. It has to be one of my favorites. I am also loving "Clampdown", "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters" (never heard this one before). I also love "Point Hope", "Let me go easy".
I enjoy the demo of "Ghost" but my favorite is still from the 1200 Curfews live album. They are a "live" band and their songs have an energy when they sing live that you just don't hear with studio recordings. If you are new to Indigo Girls, 1200 Curfews is the album to start with. I am not in love with "Free in you Remix" or "Free of Hope". The remix of "Free in You" reminds me of when U2 did their POP album-yuck. I don't enjoy the techno sound except maybe in 80's music. "Free of Hope" is just...not enjoyable. But the other 16 tracks on this album are wonderful and so fun to listen too.
I do not agree that they are "lackluster, but dated, as singer/songwriter/guitarists". I think their latest new album "All that we let in" is a strong argument disagreeing with that statement. I have LOVED their last two albums "Become You" and "All that we let in". I think the older they get, the better their music gets.I really enjoy hearing them using more banjo, mandolin, accordian, ect. The folk music sound is just delightful with their harmonies.
Their concerts are awesome and there is nothing better than seeing them live. They are wonderful. And they play for their fans and they put this album out just for us. It's hardly an attempt to become "relics". It's a fun album to have for those of us who love those odds and ends songs that we don't hear often. Enjoy!!