This is one of the best purchases I made, for any Cyndi Lauper item. The remixes are colorful, groovy, and they make me want to go out to the clubs and dance the night away. I remember the times when I used to go out and dance to "YOU DON'T KNOW". It was fun, but that was basically the only Cyndi song they played as a "Remix" in the clubs...aside from the extended version of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". Owning this CD causes the fun to never stop!

I already have the "The World is Stone" and "You don't know" CD singles...but it's nice to have all the songs together on one compilation. At first, I wondered why they'd put something so laid-back like "You have to learn to live alone" in such a "moving" compilation...but then I thought...it's a nice way to cool down after all the commotion from the first 8 songs.

Both "The World is Stone" and "You Have to Learn to Live Alone" are penned by Luc Plamondon. I don't like Celine Dion's version of "....Stone", because it's just not sung in a passionate fashion. Cyndi really belts the song out...and the video is special. Very passionate and stunning!

(...)The front cover of this item is gorgeous! Cyndi is a beautiful woman and she's so underrated by some people because of her songs "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "She Bop". Some guys laugh at me as soon as I mention Cyndi Lauper...because they're scared and they don't realize the passionate songwriter behind the songs. Too bad for them...for it's their loss. They don't know what they're missing out on.

My only complaints are:

- the liner booklet should have been printed with credits or something.

- the artwork is slightly fuzzy on inside & back cover.

- design was probably put together quite fast.

Inside the booklet...there's nothing. Cyndi could've put some kind of notes in there...but it's boring & blank.

Like I said above, it seems to have been quickly put together, but in a simple and attractive way. The back photo is blurred & seems too enlarged from the original size photo. The disc itself is attractive and has floral patters on it...such as with the backside of both the booklet and the outer tray card. Recorded Sound & high-frequency volume is excellent. I prefer my CDs in Jewel cases because the artwork doesn't get damaged as easily. Cyndi's stunning cover photo is ageless and the red of the inner tray card brings out Cyndi's ruby red lips.

Tracklist:

01- Hey Now (Girls Just want to have fun) Vasquez Remix "Lounge Mix"

02- You Don't Know (TM's Know it All Mix)

03- Come on Home (Extended Club Mix)

04- That's What I Think (Club Mix)

05- Ballad of Cleo & Joe (Soul Solution Vocal Dub)

06- Walk on By (S.A.F's Walk to the Dance Floor Club Mix)

07- What's Going On (Long Version)

08- Mother (Extended Version)

09- The World is Stone

10- You Have to Learn to Live Alone

Cyndi is very "remix-able" and she's not afraid to do something different...even after 20 years. That's what I like about her.

I was amazed to find this 10 track remixes and Rarities in the store, I almost thought is was a bootleg or one of my own personal CD's unleased to the public, since there was only 1 copy! These 10 songs are rare finds and mixes too. It ranges from a "Lounge Mix" instead of the reggae mix of Hey Now. The original 12" version of What's Going On to her current Dance hit Walk On By.

Let's get a Volume Two out there with the edited versions of some of these songs as well as Disco Inferno from Night At The Roxbury (Soul Solution Radio Edit), Shine (Illicit Mix), She Bop (Dance Mix), Good Enough (Dance Mix), Hole In My Heart, Change Of Heart (Extended Version)

I'll be upfront and admit that I'm not a big fan of a lot of current dance music. Though I absolutely loved the dance music that was big in the '70s and early '80s, by the late '80s and certainly in the '90s I started noticing a generic quality to lots of remixes. The extended versions (or simply remixes) of popular songs no longer sounded unique but instead sounded like so many other songs. It's with that frame of reference that I review this cd. While I like a lot of the songs here, I generally find most of the mixes overly long and repetitive. There's a certain sameness to a lot of the rhythm tracks, almost to the point where until the singing starts it's difficult to even tell one song from the next.

I love, love, love Cyndi's new dance album, Bring Ya To The Brink, and that's what prompted me to finally pick up this cd. I have to admit that I am seriously disappointed with most of the mixes on this disc, however, and doubt I'll even play it a second time.

"Hey Now! (Remixes & Rarities)" is a little gem of a remix album with some great tracks.

1. Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun) (Junior Vasquez Lounge Remix): Interesting version. Slower and more reggae than lounge, Ms. Lauper's rerecorded vocals are quite good. 10/10

2. You Don't Know (TM's Know-It-All Mix): I likes it! The tribal drums and synths are gorgeous! 10/10

3. Come On Home (Extended Club Mix): COOLNESS! Disco meets club for an enjoyable experience. 10/10

4. That's What I Think (Club Mix): Very 90's. A bit dated, but still very nice. 10/10

5. The Ballad of Cleo and Joe (Soul Solution Vocal Dub): The remix that officially turned me on to Cyndi Lauper. AWESOME! I do have a question, though: why is it called a "dub" when it includes almost all the vocals? 10/10

6. Walk On By (SAF's Walk to the Dance Floor Mix): A tad weird, but enjoyable. 9/10

7. What's Going On (Long Version): The extended mix. Will take you back to the late 80's/early 90's. 10/10

8. Mother (Extended Version): Has the same NF (Nostalgia Factor) as track 9. World is Stone: Haven't heard it yet. -/10

10. You Have to Learn to Live Alone: haven't heard it yet. -/10

All in all, a fantastic release. Cyndi looks beautiful on the front cover!

PS: To the lame-o who said all remixes are crap: you don't like remixes. Good for you! Just realize there are some people who do.

What a find! "Hey Now (Remixes & Rarities)" is truly fabulous...a surprise release that is full of fabulousness. Cyndi Lauper has a huge following and luckily along the way some top tier remixers have had a hand at re-crafting her already exceptional music. The stand out track on this release is most certainly S.A.F's remix of "Walk on By", now commercially available. The mixes for "You Don't Know" and "Ballade of Cleo and Joe" are Cyndi classics and deserve their spot on the album. While the mixes for "Hey Now", "Come On Home" and "That's What I Think" aren't as noteworthy as the original album cuts, they still are fun to re-find and have available once more. The inclusion of some rarites is a cool idea, but "The World Is Stone" has seen some other releases in the past few years as well as being included in international versions of "Tweleve Deadly Cyns". Although packing isn't everything. it is also very well done (again considering it's price point) and doesn't come off as a cheapy release. Hopefully with the major market success of "budget" releases, record companies will continue to turn out some neat release like this amazing album. Regardless of it's price point, the remixes (oops..and rarities) contained in the compilation are a nice mix for Cyndi Lauper fans. Scour your budget bins folks...this baby's got it.