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Given that keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein used to be a DJ it isn't surprising that the concept of Newsboys remixes would become reality sooner or later.  A strikingly good limited print remix ep released right before their breakout Step up to the Microphone was evidence that this group's songs could hold up under a serious cyber redux.  Their new release Newsboys Remixed marks a full-length return to that risky territory.  Of course, the fact that this is a band with hordes of fans who stay in love with them no matter what gives this release a lot of grace and room to explore.  Oddly enough, at first listen, it feels like the Newboys' legion of fans may have had a potentially stifling effect on this little adventure. 

Unlike their more experimental first remix ep, which exploded with club-ready big beats, ala then popular, the Prodigy, Remixed, depending on one's taste, doesn't push the envelope much.  It seems that this was an attempt to do something slightly different without the risk of Christian radio feather ruffling. The only problem is that a band of this magnitude within this market should be able to push a little without worrying about backlash (in a perfect world...). 

All the Newboys' requisite joy, insight, and lyrical cleverness is kept in tact but some tracks like "Joy" and "Fad of the Land" come off simply like extended jams of the originals.  On the other hand, tracks like "It Is You" soar powerfully with a lush, very Moby-like soundscapes.   "Million Pieces" gets a nice treatment, cut up, mixed, and reconstituted beautifully while "Beautiful Sound" takes on a lite but funky 80's synth pop sheen.  Highlights include a beautifully deconstructed "Entertaining Angels" and the fully remixed, club-friendly "Love Liberty Disco." 

All in all, Newsboys Remixed is a set of fan-friendly, slightly off-road mini-excursions that keep the Boys nudging forward without pushing too hard.

Antony Barr-Jeffrey  10/12/2002

Disclaimer: Let it be noted here that I am not a fan of remixes.  If in fact “P. Diddy” or “Puff Daddy” or whatever Sean Combs is calling himself these days did invent the remix, I say we should penalize him accordingly.

That said, Newsboys have a lot of material here to work with.  There isn’t anything new on this disc, but it comes across as a “greatest hits” type of album, with dance tracks, drum beats, and spoken word parts scattered throughout.

Ironically, the Love Liberty Disco era songs suffer the most, possibly due to their inferiority when compared to the rest of the Newsboys’ catalog.  “Good Stuff” and “Love Liberty Disco” come across as overdone versions of songs that were fairly dance oriented to begin with.

“It is You” opens with a reading of Psalm 23, while “Lord” ends up sounding like a DC Talk outtake.  “Fad of the Land” shows obvious Steve Taylor influence, never a bad thing.  “Shine” and “Joy” fare OK, neither changing much in quality from their previous incarnations, while “Rescue” goes completely in the other direction, far inferior to the original tune.  “Thrive” is reminiscent of someone testing an organ in your local mall’s music store.

“Million Pieces” and “Beautiful Sound” may be the highlights here, both acceptable as radio tunes or as dance numbers.  “MegaMix” made me smile ­ it can be described as the ‘Boys greatest hits package in eight minutes.

Steve Taylor wrote many of these songs, Lynn Nichols produces, and Dave Perkins is featured on guitar ­ dare we hope for a Chagall Guevara reunion?  Barring that, it is high time for Taylor’s next solo project.  His work with The Newsboys has produced their best material to date.  It is a shame that the remix has become CCM’s latest trend, and that a group of this quality has succumbed to it.

Brian A. Smith 27 October 2002

The Newsboys are back with their all new release: Newsboys Remixed.  This CD is a blend of classic Newsboys tunes, and newer songs from their latest release, Thrive.

It's no wonder that the band is called the "new" sboys.  Whether it's traveling around playing in a dome, creating the first festival on wheels, or rotating a drum set, these guys are always out to try something new.  The Newsboys have shown extreme maturity in their marketing ability.

Their remix CD is a jump outside of the box for the Newsboys.  Usually when I receive a Newsboys album, I assume most songs will be pretty bad and there will be a handful of good tracks.  Not so with this album.  The last four half decent projects the Newsboys have provided have left us with an entire release worth of solid remixes.

A closer look at the liner on the project reveals that Newsboys members remixed five of the thirteen tracks on the release.  Regardless, this is an impressive album and the Aussies should be happy to have their name on it.

This album starts with the praise song, "It is You" and that sets the tone for a long mix of the good songs that the Newsboys have created through the years.  The album goes from one song to another varying fun house dance music to instrumental remixes to a complete funk song. 

The favorites on the CD are "Joy," "Million Pieces," "Fad of the Land," and "Good Stuff."  Even "Love, Liberty, and Disco" sounds good under the remixing of Kipp Kubin and Tony Miracle.

Hands down, the CD's best song is the remix of "Shine."  This popular song has been the anchor in the Newsboys career, and it's nice to hear a fresh remix of this oldie. 

Overall, I would say this is a good buy, because it's so unlike buying a regular Newsboys CD.  It sounds more like something that would be played at a popular dance club.  Maybe the Newsboys should get their studio tracks remixed before they come out with another project.

John Wehrle  11/8/2002

From the title of this disc, it's not hard to guess this is indeed an album of some of the Newsboys' greatest hits, remixed. Though the band has already given fans a taste of remixes in the past (the Entertaining Angels Maxi-Single, previous remixes of "A Beautiful Sound," "Love Liberty Disco," as well as the "Mega Mix" found on Shine: The Hits, etc.), this CD is the first that contains only remixes of their songs.

The album consists of 13 tracks from a variety of albums. A majority of the songs, six of these songs, are from one of their most recent releases, Thrive. These songs include "It Is You" (UK Mix), the new radio smash that is one of the biggest hits from Thrive. In this version dance beats are added and the track is stretched out to a total of nearly seven minutes! It's definitely a very different sounding song--but it's a great way to introduce the album and get the audience involved in the remix mood these guys created.

"Lord (Father B. Mix)," was remixed by Newsboy Jody Davis and is one of my favorite tracks on the entire album. This version isn't over-produced; the main roots of the original song are pretty much in tact, but the remix version's sound is actually (in my opinion) better than the original because it's just a bit more enhanced in sound and instrument. Audiences who love this song on Thrive will enjoy it here. "Million Pieces (A Million and One Mix)" is one of the other most renowned songs from Thrive so far, and here there is quite a different taste from the original, as it takes on more of an extreme dance feel here. "Thrive (Is that James Dancing? Mix)" was remixed by Newsboy Jeff Frankenstein, and he adds a definite dance twist to it, upping the tempo quite a bit compared to the original. "Fad of the Land (Lounge Mix)" brings in a different twist from the rest of the disc as the band brings in more electric sounds (electric guitar, etc.) as opposed to the techno beats. This version isn't too different from the original, as its main roots are still in it lyrically and beat-wise. Last, but not least, from Thrive is "Rescue (Helmet Mix)," remixed by Davis (and Jim Evision). The original version is quite upbeat to begin with, and this version only enhances that sound adding in background beats.

Three songs from Love Liberty Disco make remix appearances on the album as well: "Beautiful Sound (Below the Radar Mix)," "Good Stuff (NYC Mix)," and, of course, the one and only, "Love Liberty Disco (All Mixed Up Mix)." "Beautiful Sound" and "Good Stuff" are two of the least upbeat/techno songs on the entire album and therefore stand out amongst the others. They still include the computerized remix sounds--but not to the same extent of the other tunes.

Two songs appear from another most recent album Shine: The Hits: "Joy (Let's Be Frank Mix)" (yet another one remixed by Jeff Frankenstein), and the ending song "Mega Mix," including bits of songs mixed together: "Shine," "WooHoo," "Take Me To Your Leader," "Breakfast," "Reality," "Entertaining Angels," "Step Up to the Microphone," and "I'm Not Ashamed." The "Mega Mix" track takes the listener through eight minutes, but it's a fun mix and great way to end the album.

The remaining two notable songs are "Entertaining Angels (O2R Mix)" and "Shine (Y2250F Mix)." "Entertaining Angels" (remixed by other Newsboy Peter Furler) is another track that's pretty much stuck to its main roots in sound and is overall very enjoyable. Personally, I'm glad they didn't computerize the sound right out of this one--it's definitely one of my other personal favorites.

Overall, this album is a perfect example of remix. It's different at first to listen to a lot of these songs with the drum loops and dance-club feel to them--but surprisingly, it really grew on me! There's a good enough mix of sounds--some more extremely remixed than others--but overall each song is recognizable enough to its original. So whether you're a new or old fan of the Newsboys, I recommend getting this for your collection. It's a good introduction to the band--and great for fans who want a different taste of what these guys can do!

Jessica Heikoop  1/9/2002