Be Yrself, Dont Take Anybodys Shit, And Never Let Them Take U Alive..

Release date March 15th, 2004

First you pick up a guitar, mainly to impress the girls, next thing you know is you’re whisked on your way to the exalted heights of the Top (as in It’s A Long Way To The Top If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll). Not that you ever expect to reach that place. No, not in your wildest dreams… Oh, come on, of course you do!

But it’s what happens during that mythical journey that really counts. All the highs and lows, detours and strange sensations. Rock’n’Roll is not a career plan where you follow a foolproof strategy that will lead you comfortably from point A to point B. It’s rather a continuing creative process where one lives and learns amid some considerable madness. A journey so dizzying that it makes sense to stop for a split second every once in a while just to take a long deep breath.

“And Love Said No – The Greatest Hits 1997-2004” catches up with HIM  at a point where they’ve just witnessed their most recent single “The Funeral Of Hearts” reaching a respectable No. 15 in the UK charts. A place where their second album (out of four altogether) “Razorblade Romance” has sold over 100.000 copies in the USA purely through the strength of word of mouth – a promising addition to their 2.3 million European album sales. They’ve come to realize they’ve created a buzz all of their own, that they really are The Most Exciting Band Right Now! If anything HIM has proved they are too good a secret to be kept.

“And Love Said No” should be seen as a travelogue of the first part of their mythical journey. A rollercoaster ride that has seen them pack 6.000 fans into an amphitheater right in the centre of Athens, headlining major festivals in Germany, and wooing the good people of Portugal. Recording at the legendary Rockfield Studios, birthplace of Black Sabbath’s debut, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Morning Glory” by Oasis… Shooting videos in London with Kevin Godley (“Pretending”), and in places like Los Angeles (“Buried Alive By Love”), Prague (“The Sacrament”) and Philadelphia (“Solitary Man”) with self-appointed number-one-fan and professional jackass Bam Margera. Watching “Join Me” change it’s status from a mere smash No. 1 hit in several countries into their first real anthem.

Back in the mid-Nineties the band’s sole objective was to win the respect of their Helsinki City peers, and maybe land a gig or two. Starting off as a ‘Black Sabbath tribute band of sorts’, as frontman Ville Valo still maintains they did, they pretty soon started to make progress. They got the gigs, recorded a brilliant debut album (“Greatest Love Songs, Vol. 666”, 1997), and, lo and behold, the horizon widened! Some six years later they put their career on hold as they waited for their erstwhile idol Ozzy Osbourne to recover from his injuries so they could fulfil their dream of supporting him on his UK Tour. In the end they had to move on, but rest assured, a heartfelt ‘Get well f****n’ soon!’ went out to The Dad from His Boys.

With a little bit too much free time on their hands HIM returned to the studio in late 2003 and recorded two new songs. One was the title track “And Love Said No”, a Valo original (as are all songs bar two on this compilation). The other one was a version of the 1966 Neil Diamond gem “Solitary Man”,  which received the same ‘love metal’ treatment that some seven years earlier had turned Chris Isaak’s country-tinged “Wicked Game” into a punchy crowd singalong favourite. When you listen to their energetic rendition of “Solitary Man” you can almost see the glee in their eyes as they can’t wait to see people mosh to a Neil Diamond tune on their forthcoming US tour!

Love metal finds heartbreaking vocal melodies riding on waves of crunching guitars, like rays of lights penetrating the darkness (no pun intended). There’s the solid machismo of the rhythm kept in close check by the yin of tender piano motifs and acoustic guitars. Love metal can take the form of a clenched fist (“Buried Alive By Love”) or it can choose a far gentler approach (“In Joy And Sorrow”) but there’s always one thing in common: when you boil it down you’re left with a Song.

“Love Metal” was also the title of their fourth album which Spring 2003 release HIM celebrated with a return to their roots. The band played a seven night stint at the tiny-but-funky Helsinki club Semifinal – as documented in the limited edition version of “And Love Said No” featuring a six song live DVD (Please note: the DVD will be a standard feature in UK and US releases). Part awesome live band firing at close range, part true congregation of friends.

The relationship between the band and their fans is very genuine and caring, and that has put them in the position they find themselves in right now. In a way you could compare HIM to an old school cover, taking his time and taking a real interest in his counterpart, leaving all those chest-beating antics to, shall we say, lesser mortals. You can witness something just click, a bond being formed and true emotions taking their place in the front row. That’s an important factor in what makes HIM so exciting: they’re a band you can truly fall in love with.

Now, Ville Valo is a star, there’s no way you can deny that. He is the star of every room he walks into, even on the worst of off-days. But HIM fans know that he is their star, as well as HIM is their band. The distance between band and fan kind of disappears, and that makes a world of difference.

The readers of Kerrang have recently voted Ville the sexiest male star while the Rock Sounds readership puts him on a pedestal for being Hunk of the Year. Compared to those accolades the band being voted best live act, “The Sacrament” best single (both Rock Sounds) and HIM best overall band followed by Iron Maiden and Metallica (Metal Hammers UK) pales considerably…

So here we are, 16 hits into a journey. Sweet sixteen songs that most bands would die for to have grace their career retrospective compilations. But this is now, a continuation, not a destination. For HIM now is simply a place where the real adventure takes off.

What happens when love one day says ‘yes’, I hear you ask. Will it heal us or will it kill us? Well, that’s something for everybody to find out for themselves. Ville Valo included.

HIM areQ

Ville Valo – vocals

Linde – guitar

Mige Amour – bass

Gas – drums

Burton - keyboards

<taken from Love Metal Archives>