Gordon Lightfoot - "Gord's Gold"

A very strong greatest hits compilation of Lightfoot's most popular recordings. Released shortly after his commercial peak with the album "Sundown" and featuring songs like "Carefree Highway," "Sundown" and "If you Could Read my Mind."

Lightfoot was one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s.  Hailing from Canada, some considered him the closest thing to a Canadian Bob Dylan. Lightfoot focuses on mellow acoustic based songs with strong lyrics that often tell stories. His deep, warm and husky voice carries his tunes well and he has more vocal ability than Leonard Cohen or Dylan.

This collection covers basically the first ten years of his career. This period actually turned out to be the best part of his career as well. He would continue to write good songs and have a very dedicated fan following but his commercial popularity and creative abilities are at their best here.

Picking at least one song from each one of his albums from his 1966's debut "Lightfoot" to his 1975 hit "Cold on the Shoulder." His earlier songs have been re-recorded like "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and also turned into medleys like "I'm Not Sayin'/Ribbon of Darkness" (John Denver did the same thing with his early songs on his Greatest Hits album). The versions are not drastically different, but the new recordings do make a number of the songs sound similar since Lightfoot's voice and style on the old songs sounds similar to the "new" songs.

Upon first listen the songs may all blend together (it is a 21 track album!).  But repeated listens will reveal the great nuance and quality of Lightfoot's music. Originally released in 1975 as a two record set,  to fit the album on one CD they deleted the song "Affair on 8th Avenue" (die-hard fans will complain about this omission for years). The CD has a short but nice booklet with an overview essay of Lightfoot's career and photos of his longtime band members. This is a great compilation for those unfamiliar with Lightfoot.  A 2002, 20 track CD called "The Complete Greatest Hits" is another option for those looking to get Lightfoot all on one album. That disc covers a larger period of time 1966-the 1980s and features the original versions of the songs. In the end it is up to you dear listener to see which compilation fits your needs. I like this one.

Huey Lewis & The News - "Greatest Hits"

I am so sorry for the nearly two month long absence from my postings. Just one of those things where other daily matters overtake your time.  If there are any readers left out there thank you so much for sticking with me.

Here is my triumphant return, hopefully not followed by another long gap.  Returning to my alphabetical listings here is the mighty Huey Lewis & The News.

Released in 2006 this is the perfect compilation for the 1980s hit makers. Lewis and company were essentially a good time bar band that hit it big in the 1980s with a string of top ten hits and platinum albums.  Their sound is a mix of rock, pop, soul, r&b, with some great acappella chops.  They incorporate catchy pop hooks with big brass horns and electric guitars.  They also did not take themselves too seriously, they took their music seriously. Always making sure they were putting out great products, but they also made sure they were having a clean good time.  Their music videos were mini movies, with elaborate sets and costumes, featuring the band dressing up and even being buried in the sand.

This compilation lives up to its name as basically every hit the band put out contained on one CD (even Lewis' version of "Cruisin'" with Gwyneth Paltrow from the movie "Duets" is here). Their previous compilation "Time Flies" contained 12 songs and four new recordings none of which were super popular.  "Greatest Hits" contains all 12 songs from "Time Flies" and adds nine more tracks!!! The live version of "Trouble in Paradise" is included as well. The song order is not chronological but instead like a concert set list. Not a bad thing as the songs flow well together, but it does leave one of their earliest rowdiest songs "Workin' for a Livin'" as the closer.

The CD packaging is well done with lots of photos and collages, three essays (one by Jimmy Kimmel) and chart listings for each of the songs.  All in all this is the perfect hits compilation for fans or newcomers of the great band known as Huey Lewis & the News.

In the words of Mr. Kimmel, "I know what I like. I like Huey Lewis and the News."

John Lennon - "Lennon Legend"

Hello readers, if there are any of you left, I greatly apologize for the long break I know it has been two months since my last post. It is one of those things where you suddenly get busy and start doing all these different things and the time seems to vanish. Wake up and before you know it it is time to sleep again.

After some special posts, one for Stephen Stills' birthday, I am returning to my alphabetical list of albums. This is the last CD I have by John Lennon. This 1997 single disc Best of compilation is really perfect. "Lennon Legend" subtitled "The Very Best of John Lennon" certainly lives up to it's subtitle.

Contained here are all his solo singles (even the ones released after his death) along with a few choice album tracks. Sure there are other good songs in his solo catalogue but this is the best of it.

After Lennon's first two solo albums, his remaining albums had a cobbled together and sometimes tossed off feel.  A few great tracks then some stuff he was just playing around with.  This grabs many of the best moments from "Walls and Bridges," "Mind Games," and "Milk and Honey."  Also included are songs like "Cold Turkey," "Give Peace a Chance," "Instant Karma," and "Happy Xmas" which never appeared on any album.

All four Beatles solo work actually had the same feel, a handful of great songs then the rest of the album was devoted to forgettable songs.  Each of the four had at least one excellent album though.  So their solo catalogues are prime arenas for compilations.

As I said before this is an excellent compilation showcasing Lennon's best solo work. It follows basically chronological order, but when it does move songs around it is with good taste and for good effect.  The sound is strong and the booklet contains many candid photographs and very brief information about each song.

I believe this compilation went out of print in 2010 when Lennon's entire catalogue was re-released in honor of what would have been his 70th birthday. Now the only compilations available are well packaged box-sets or a shorter compilation. The albums "Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine" are must haves but if there is one Lennon compilation to seek out it is this one.

Led Zeppelin - "The Best of"

"Been a Long time since a Rock and Roll" post.
After a long unintentional absence The Music Man has returned. Nice to see you all again.

Picking up where my alphabetical listings stopped about a month ago. (Last post was Carole King, check it out). Coincidentally my next album is Led Zeppelin who received a Kennedy Center honor this year.

My Led Zeppelin "Best of" collection was made for me by a gorgeous ballet dancer that was very special to me for a time, but I sadly have not seen her in many years. Anyway she and I used to trade music and she made me what she claimed was the perfect Led Zeppelin collection and I am inclined to agree. At the time the group had only released an expensive Box Set and "Early/Later Days" (the later of which was an affordable two disc set but poorly selected, no "Ramble On" what the hell?). So she made a wonderful two disc collection for me. She picked it pretty well because a few years later Zeppelin came out with "Mothership" an excellent greatest hits collection that is basically identical to the one my ballerina friend made me.

First off I want to say I enjoy a number of Zeppelin songs, "Over the Hills and Far Away" is my favorite, and the albums "Led Zeppelin II," "Led Zeppelin IV," and "Houses of the Holy" are very good. I am not a Zeppelin obsessive that thinks they are the greatest band ever, I think they are very good though.

Zeppelin make great guitar riffs, Robert Plant's vocals, and John Paul Jones is one of the best bass players out there. There is not much I can say about Zeppelin that has not been said already if you enjoy 1970s rock and have not checked them out you probably should. Pick up the compilation "Mothership" or the three album I mentioned in the paragraph above. If you are looking for they live performance (with excess jams that last 30 minutes!) check out "How the West Was Won" triple CD live album.

Well hope all is well and next time we will talk about John Lennon's "Imagine" see you then.

Billy Joel - "Greatest Hits Vol. III"

Released in 1997 four years after Billy Joel retired from Pop music. There had been a number of trials and tribulations between this Release and his previous hits collection released in 1985.

Between 1985 and '97 Joel had toured the USSR (1987), a great honor considering no American musician had been allowed to perform there during the cold war, which was documented on video and on album ("Kohuept"). He had two legal battles one with his manager who had stolen a large amount of Joel's money and his lawyer who had done similar things. He retired from music in 1993 and divorced wife of ten years Christie Brinkley in 1996. Also during this period he released only three new studio albums "The Bridge," "Storm Front" and "River of Dreams" all of which produced a number of hit singles and were big selling albums. Joel was also trying to recoup his stolen money so he toured extensively through the 1989-1994 era.

SO now we come to Greatest Hits III which by and large is a very well done hits compilation on par with his two previous comps. There are two big hits (which have actually been forgotten by most people and is possibly why they are not here) left off the disc, "Modern Woman" and "Big Man on Mulberry Street," but other than that this is a solid collection and a great document of the last part of Joel's recoding career.

The disc starts with two big hits that were left off his previous collection "An Innocent Man" and "Keeping the Faith" then flows into his late 80s and early 90s hits. These songs are very different from all his previous work as they are more slickly designed to be pop hits (the albums often contained a half hits and other half forgettable filler). But what is included here is excellent if slightly darker than his early work but great tracks one and all from "A Matter of Trust" to "River of Dreams" all his best latter work is here.

This compilation ends with three new recordings to entice big fans, all are covers however by Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Goffin and King respectively. All three are preformed in sleepy slow versions and only Joel's rendition of Dylan's "To Make you Feel My Love" sticks in the memory. But these three tracks are not on par with the rest of the hits and Joel seems to have halfheartedly thrown them on at the record company's request. Also as is par with Joel albums the booklet is just the song lyrics nothing more.

Other than that this is a great compilation especially since Billy Joel's albums from this period were often half hits and half forgettable this is a really necessary collection for fans and novices.

Billy Joel - "Greatest Hits Volume I & II"

After the massive success of 1983's "An Innocent Man" album Billy Joel took a breather by releasing his first (and as the title suggests second) greatest hits compilation. Released in 1985 as a double album package (you couldn't buy just one volume they came as a set) does its job of being a very good example of Joel's career up to that point. By 1985 Joel had amassed a massive amount of hits as well as good songs and fan favorites that were not released as singles. So it is obvious that no double disc compilation could collect them all so it is refreshing that the songs present are so well chosen.

Volume 1 (also disc 1) covers the years 1973-1977. Ignoring his botched independent first album "Cold Spring Harbor" (which was released in 1971 at the wrong speed making all the songs too fast. Later Columbia records re-released the album with the problems fixed in 1983) and starting with "Piano Man" and running through his first smash hit songs from "The Stranger" album. Though not all of the songs on this volume were actually big hits they were his charting singles (save "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" which is a Joel and fan favorite that became very popular in his live shows) from the period and were popular on radio and eventually became very popular after Joel became a superstar.

Volume 2 (also disc 2) covers his superstar years 1978-1985 starting with songs from the album "52nd Street" through 1983's "An Innocent Man." All the songs here are smash hit singles and there is at least one song from all five albums he released during this period. The compilation ends with two new songs, only available on this album, both of which became hits as well. "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" is a fun catchy life affirming pop song and "The Night is Still Young" is a haunting powerhouse even though it is really just a great melody and chorus (it is still one of my favorite Joel songs).

While some may gripe that three BIG hits were left off, "Honesty," "Keeping the Faith" and "An Innocent Man," this double disc compilation does exactly what it sets out to do in being a excellent gathering of his biggest hits and a perfect example of why Billy Joel is one of the biggest superstars of the 1970s and 1980s.

Bruce Hornsby - "Greatest Radio Hits"

Bruce Hornsby is one of those artists that despite a number of excellent songs, a fair amount of success, a decent fan following, and a couple of great albums, is remembered by many for a single song: "The Way it is." His first hit, a comment of the social problems of America, set to a pop beat with incredible melody and Hornsby's distinct piano lines.

Hornsby and his great back up band The Range (I love that band name) released two hit albums 1986's "The Way it is" and 1988's "Scenes from the Southside" both of which are excellent and focused on slices of Americana. The music on both is highly melodic, highly pop oriented, and feature Hornsby's strong voice and excellent piano skills. The pattern basically continued with "A Night on the Town" though with a  more rock oriented touch. In 1993 Hornsby left the Range behind and continued as a solo artist. The rest of his albums took on a heavier Jazz Pop influence, which was not bad actually.

Like I said earlier Hornsby made a number of strong albums (his first four maybe five albums are essential for big fans) he is often best showcased on individual songs and this long overdue hits collection shows his excellence. Of the 15 tracks eight are with The Range and seven are solo works. Though they are not necessarily huge hits they are his best songs and all his chart singles. Included is the wonderful "Set Me In Motion" from the film "Backdraft" and two live renditions of Hornsby penned songs that were hits for others. An accordion led rendition of "Jacob's Ladder" (a huge hit for Huey Lewis and the News) and a spare almost unplugged version of "End of the Innocence" (a big hit for Don Henley).

There are some good liner notes and the songs show what a great musician and songwriter Hornsby is. A perfect single disc career retrospective and hits compilation for a too often over looked artist.

John Denver - "John Denver's Greatest Hits"

This compilations is kind of an oddity because Denver only had three hits at the time of its release. Though this is one of the biggest selling records of John Denver's career. Released in 1973 after the massive success of the "Poems, Prayers and Promises" and "Rocky Mountain High," albums, this compilation gathers songs from 1969 up to 1973. His record company wanted him to release this album and Denver agreed on the condition that he could showcase and re-record some of his lesser known songs from his early albums. That became kind of common for compilations in the 1970s where an artist would re-record their earlier songs, Gordon Lightfoot did the same thing on "Gord's Gold."

"Rhymes & Reasons," "The Eagle and the Hawk," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Starwood in Aspen" are all re-recorded most are not drastically different, faster pace or different guitar picking, "Eagle and the Hawk" adds an entire string section to the song though. Actually because of their inclusion on this compilation many of the unknown songs became hits as well.

When RCA/Legacy released this on CD in 2005 they added three fine songs "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado," "Daydreams" and "Friends with You." I purchased this CD because the sticker on the cover stated there were new extensive liner notes for the 2005 release. I thought, great there is some kind of booklet with an essay about the album or John Denver or Both. In reality there aren't really any liner notes. There is the little paragraph written by Denver himself (that was on the original LP) and then each song has a listing of the musicians that played on it. That is about it. This is still a fine compilation and really showcases Denver's Folk/Country/Pop prowess. This is the kind of music that makes me feel warm inside and that is nice feeling.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Chronicle"

Creedence Clearwater Revival (excellent band name), although they were from San Francisco epitomized and perfected Southern Rock and Roll like no other band. John Fogerty the lead singer, lead guitarist and chief songwriter steered the band to the top of the charts in the late 1960s and early 70s before leaving the group. There also turned out to be a huge rift between Fogerty and the rest of the band which has prevented any type of reunion.

None the less the band has a vast legacy and a number of stellar songs. I first got "Chronicle," it is sometimes listed as "Vol. 1" because they later released a second volume, anyway I was at Tower Records and they had one copy and the back insert with the track listing was inserted upside down. At the time I did not know you could simply pop open the CD tray and flip the paper right side up so I did not buy it. I went back to the store several times for other albums and would look at this CD but it was always the same upside down one. Eventually I just bought that one and even though I eventually found out how to open the CD tray I have left the insert upside down. I now think it is kind of cool, like I purchased a one of a kind disc. Sometimes it is troublesome when you flip the case over to look up a song and I have to turn one more time to get in right side up, but that is minor.

Anyway on to the compilation itself. This is basically a perfect compilation of Creedence, the only song that I would have liked on this disc is "Born on the Bayou" but it is on the second volume. The compilation contains all nineteen hit songs that the group released plus an 11 minute version of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." Every song that Creedence is known for is on this compilation from "Fortunate Son" to "Who'll Stop the Rain." The songs really show how good a band Creedence was and how excellent a songwriter Fogerty was/is. He could write catchy deep meaningful lyrics and strong melodies as well as focus on social issues truly a great songwriter. The perfect disc for new fans or interested parties and actually only the die hard fans will want the original albums; most will only need this disc and its companion second volume. "Chronicle Vol. 2" focuses solely on album tracks. "Chronicle" is an excellent compilation of a really good band, there are decent liner notes: a short paragraph about the group and then facts about the albums and a time line. I am glad I purchased this album and glad I have a silly story to tell about it.

Jimmy Buffett - "Songs you Know by Heart"

In recent years Jimmy Buffett has come to be known more for his Island Style clothing line, his humorous books with Pigs as main characters, his restaurant chain and his continuous concert tours than for his music.

Buffett actually only had one big hit with the song "Margaritaville," but he has a number of very good songs which have earned him a rather large and rabid fan base that have dubbed themselves "parrot heads."

At his best Buffett makes easy listening folk rock with an tropical feel and at his best his lyrics are imaginative and witty and give you the feel of lying in a hammock on the beach. Buffett is a bit of a goof-ball though and sometimes his songs get rather silly as he sings about getting drunk and chewing bubble gum. Yet overall he has written a number of simple yet enjoyable songs.

This compilation really showcases Buffett's best work which earned him his loyal following. This is the compilation for the casual listener who is interested by Buffett's sound but is not really a diehard fan. This contains his classics songs. He has written some other good ones but this is the pick of the lot. He has heartfelt singer-songwriter style songs "He Went to Paris" and "A Pirate Looks at 40," his witty and fun songs "Fins" and "Volcano" as well as his silly songs "Why Don't we Get Drunk" and "Pencil Thin Mustache." This compilation is much better than his later one title "Meet Me in Margaritaville" because on that double disc his reworks a number of his most popular songs so they are not the hit versions anymore. Buffett's music provides a great way to ease away your troubles and enjoy some drinks on the beach. See you all in Margaritaville!

The Beatles "1"

This will be my last Beatles post. Their 2000 compilation of 27 of their number one singles is a pretty good place to start for the uninitiated. It covers their whole career and since this is a singles collection a handful of these songs do not appear on any regular album. There is no way a single compilation could contain all the best Beatles songs, but this does a pretty good job and if you have not listened to the Beatles this CD will probably make you a fan.

Aerosmith "Big Ones"

Ok so I bought this Aerosmith Greatest Hits CD at Tower Records in 2001 (seven years after it was released). The reason I purchased it in 2001 is because that was something of a stellar year for Aerosmith. After being inactive and reclusive for nearly four years, with the exception of the hit "Armageddon" theme song "I don't wanna miss a thing," they reappeared like gangbusters in 2001. Aerosmith were everywhere: they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Performed at the Super Bowl Half Time Show, Appeared on MTV and various TV shows almost constantly, VH1 showed Aerosmith videos 24/7, they released the album "Just Push Play" with the hit single "Jaded," and the guy who sat next to me in my Chemistry class was praising Aerosmith daily and even made me a copy of "Just Push Play."

I guess what I am saying is that I caught Aerosmith fever and I ran out to Tower Records and picked up "Big Ones." The CD actually only collects hits from Aerosmith's years at the Geffen record company when they had their late 1980s rebirth till the mid 1990s. So early hits like "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk this Way" are not included. Some of the best Aerosmith songs "Janie's Got a Gun," "Dude (Looks like a Lady)" and my favorite "Love in an Elevator" are here. There are a number of songs that fit in here but are not terribly excellent such as "Walk on Water," "Blind Man" and "Deuces are Wild." In truth I have never been a big fan of Aerosmith they have a number of catchy pop oriented rock songs but I have never really sought out their music. If a song came on the radio or someone is playing them I would not turn away, but I don't crave Aerosmith like many of their fans. While this is a good hits compilation they have released a few others since that are better and honestly I can say I have not listened to this CD since 2001. All I can say is Aerosmith fever got me but it passed, yet the band is still going strong more power to you Aerosmith.