The remix album is so often seen as the ultimate corporate shill; take a selection of beloved tracks, hand them over to the studio wiz kids and with minimum effort you’ve earned yourself a couple of extra million. Few truly stick in the memory. Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm Remixedwas a real success, but nothing truly special, and it seems that for the most part there are more forgettable remixes albums than works of genuine merit. Yet the remix is an art form; the right mix can elevate a track or even redefine it transforming it into something completely different entirely. You only need to cast your mind back to the brilliant Southern Monkey Dub remix of “When The Sun Goes Down” to see a great track given a new lease of life. In some cases a remix can turn a mediocre song into a create one. Fisherspooner’s “Never Win” was a cultish hit before a Mirwais electro make over turned it into a dance floor anthem. So while The Remix should be greeted with healthy scepticism, it shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. 

Full credit must go to Lady Gaga she’s certainly put some effort into this album. On certain tracks she’s completely re-recorded her vocal performance, or at least allowed some alternate master recordings to enter circulation. She’s also assembled an “allstar” class; Marilyn Manson, Passion Pit, Richard Vision and FrankMusic all give us their spin on the world of Gaga (and yes, allstar is certainly an overstatement). Now on the downside many of these remixes are readily available as B-sides on the original single releases. So there’s certainly a feeling that the listener isn’t being treated to anything new. That said, not all Gaga fans own her every single so a compilation is certainly helpful; even if full price for a less than B-sides collection feels rather disingenuous. On top of this is the discrepancy between the UK, US and International editions. The UK edition contains seventeen remixes and is a genuine collection of all her previously available remixes. The US edition (which is being reviewed here) contains only ten remixes which all feature on the UK edition. Sadly if you’re Japanese you will be treated to sixteen remixes of just seven tracks. This is all rather perplexing and pretty disappointing as each consumer base (arguably with the exception of the UK) is missing out in one way or another. The second slowed down ballad remix of “Lovegame”, for example, is more than worthy of a place on the US edition; as it truly is a re-imagining of the original version and has just as much merit as the Manson mix. 

Regardless of discrepancies the ten tracks include on The Remix stand or fall on their own merits. For the most part The Remix suffers from the same failings as the majority remixes albums. Some tracks simple don’t need to be remixed. “Just Dance”, “Poker Face” and “Paparazzi” really don’t need to be changed, and the remixes add little. These three mixes certainly could be dropped in any Deejays setlist without complaint but they don’t add anything truly special. There is a feeling that these mixes could be knocked up by any wannabe producer worth his salt. Sadly, the inclusion of the "big tracks" is a necessary evil as Gaga's label likely wanted to ensure the records sales. After all, a large proportion fans don’t want to pick up a record and be confronted with a collection of tracks they have never really heard of or cared for. It’s a shame, as some tracks in Gaga's back catalogue that could really benefit from a remix are excluded. Surely more could be done with the lesser known “Money, Honey” or “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich” than the brilliant “Bad Romance”, “Dance In The Dark” or “Poker Face”? The latter (“Beautiful, Dirty, Rich”) is practically crying out for a remix.

The tracks that do yearn for remixes are the real winners on this LP. “Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)” is given some hair on it’s chest by a groovy and substantial wall of pounding electro noise. It successful disarms the saccharine smultziness that sank the original. “The Fame” gets a similar treatment, but what it gains in catichess it loses subtly. It’s a tough call, the original has a sparse feel and the remix is busy and intense. The remix certainly succeeds in offering a viable alternative that really kicks into a higher gear when the big synth line comes in. “Lovegame” is another winner, it’s not a track that necessarily needed a remix but it’s certainly a track that suited to club mix. Manson adds little to the mix, but the skipping vocals are certainly infectious and the track succeeds on its own terms.

The burden of remixing certainly weighs heavy on a producer and you feel Starsmith was overwhelmed on “Bad Romance”. As he employs an endless string of needless gimmicks and frankly annoying effects as if he were on a mission to prove his relevance. Thankfully by the tracks end he allows Gaga some room to breathe and lets the hooks do the talking. Speaking of annoyances the opening to “Telephone” is a travesty of Alvin and The Chipmunks proportions. Passion Pit successfully turn a great slice of throwaway pop into Euro-dance nightmare before the track is salvaged by Beyonce’s sheer vocal bombast. It’s truly a horrible mix and a wasted opportunity for Passion Pit to gain greater notoriety.

As The Remix progresses you cannot help but come to the realization that this LP is utterly inessential. It feels lazy, there is little of true relevance on offer, and the next great remix is not waiting around the corner. There are moments of enjoyment to be had; “Alejandro” is a simple sprucing up of an already infectious anthem. “Dance In The Dark” is made more spacious and sentimental thanks to a relatively vibrant and open ended reworking. Yet these successes hardly justify the price tag, most listeners would be better of sampling their favourites online and making there own compilation. As The Remix fails to hang to hang together as a focused cohesive work, and is marked by its lack of creativity.