Carly Simon – The Best Of Carly Simon (1975)

Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943 or 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and children’s author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include “Anticipation” (No. 13), “The Right Thing to Do” (No. 17), “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain” (No. 14), “You Belong to Me” (No. 6), “Coming Around Again” (No. 18), and her four Gold-certified singles “You’re So Vain” (No. 1), “Mockingbird” (No. 5, a duet with James Taylor), “Nobody Does It Better” (No. 2) from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, and “Jesse” (No. 11). She has authored five children’s books as well as two memoirs.

In 1963, Simon began performing with her sister Lucy Simon as the Simon Sisters. The duo released three albums, beginning with Meet the Simon Sisters, which featured the song “Winkin’, Blinkin’ and Nod”; based on the poem by Eugene Field, the song became a minor hit and reached No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100.

After Lucy left the group, Carly found great success as a solo artist with her 1971 self-titled debut album; it won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and spawned her first Top 10 single “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” (No. 10), which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Simon’s second album, Anticipation, followed later that year and became an even greater success; it spawned the successful singles “Anticipation” and “Legend in Your Own Time”, earned her another Grammy Award nomination, and became her first album to be certified Gold by the RIAA. Simon achieved international fame with her third album, No Secrets (1972), which sat at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for five weeks and was certified Platinum. The album spawned the worldwide hit “You’re So Vain”, which sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, and earned Simon three Grammy Award nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The second single “The Right Thing to Do”, as well as its B-side “We Have No Secrets”, were also successful.

Her fourth album, Hotcakes (1974), soon followed and became an instant success; it reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, went Gold within two weeks of release, and spawned the hit singles “Mockingbird” and “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain”. In 1975, Simon’s fifth album Playing Possum, and the compilation The Best of Carly Simon, both appeared. The former made the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawned the hit single “Attitude Dancing” (No. 21), and the latter eventually went 3x Platinum, becoming Simon’s best-selling release.

In 1977, Simon recorded “Nobody Does It Better” as the theme song to the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, and it became a worldwide hit. The song garnered her another Grammy Award nomination, and was the No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit of 1977.[7] Retrospectively, it has been ranked one of the greatest Bond themes.[8][9][10] Simon began recording more songs for films in the 1980s, including “Coming Around Again” for the film Heartburn (1986). The song became a major Adult Contemporary hit, and the Coming Around Again album appeared the following year, to further critical and commercial success. The album earned Simon another Grammy Award nomination, went Platinum, and spawned three more Top 10 Adult Contemporary hit singles; “Give Me All Night”, “The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of”, and “All I Want Is You”. With her 1988 hit “Let the River Run”, from the film Working Girl, Simon became the first artist to win a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for a song composed and written, as well as performed, entirely by a single artist.

One of the most popular of the confessional singer/songwriters who emerged in the early 1970s, Simon has 24 Billboard Hot 100-charting singles and 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary charting singles. Among her various accolades, she has won two Grammy Awards (from 14 nominations), and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for “You’re So Vain” in 2004. AllMusic called her “one of the quintessential singer-songwriters of the ’70s”.[4] She has a contralto vocal range, and has cited Odetta as a significant influence. Simon was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994. She was honored with the Boston Music Awards Lifetime Achievement in 1995, and received a Berklee College of Music Honorary Doctor of Music Degree in 1998. In 2005, Simon was nominated for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but she has yet to claim her star. In 2012, she was honored with the Founders Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. On November 5, 2022, Simon will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Best of Carly Simon is singer-songwriter Carly Simon’s first greatest hits album, released by Elektra Records, on November 24, 1975. Covering the first five years of her career, the compilation includes eight top 20 hit singles from her first five albums, as well as two album cuts from No Secrets (1972): “Night Owl” and “We Have No Secrets”, the latter of which was released as the B-side to the single “The Right Thing to Do”.

For many years, this was Simon’s only greatest hits collection, and as a result, it became her best selling album. In the late 1990s, sales in the United States alone stood at over three million copies. However, in later years the collection could not be considered a complete or definitive representation of Simon’s best or most popular work because it did not include her major hits from the mid-1970s onward, such as “Nobody Does It Better”, “You Belong to Me”, “Jesse”, “Coming Around Again” and “Let the River Run”.

The fact that Simon had changed record labels several times (moving from Elektra to Warner Bros. to Epic to Arista) made a more wide-ranging collection a difficult proposition. A live album, Greatest Hits Live (1988), went some way to rectifying this issue, but the original recorded versions were eventually collected on the three-disc boxed-set Clouds in My Coffee (1995), the two-disc set Anthology (2003), and the single-disc Reflections: Carly Simon’s Greatest Hits (2004), which went on to become a great commercial success, and was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2007. (wikipedia)

Carly Simon was among the pop royalty of the singer/songwriter era of the early ’70s. This album collects her most popular songs of the first five years of her solo career. Opening with the powerful “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be,” for which Simon received the 1971 Best New Artist Grammy Award, it includes four tunes from the classic No Secrets album, including the number one hit “You’re So Vain.” Simon’s duet with then-husband James Taylor on “Mockingbird” was also a Top Ten hit. “Anticipation,” with its classic “I rehearsed those words just late last night,” and the repetitive coda “these are the good old days,” though merely a ketchup commercial to a later generation, still retains its power here in the original version. Simon’s insightful lyrics and evocative voice remain fresh years later. This album is a good starting point for those interested in discovering why. (by Jim Newsom)

Personnel:
Eddie Bongo (percussion on 10.)
Michael Brecker (saxophone on 03.)
Ray Cooper (percussion on 02. + 08.)
Paul Glanz (piano on 04. + 09.)
Andrew Gold (guitar on 10.)
Jim Gordon (drums on 06., 07. + 10.)
Paul Griffin (piano on 01.)
Nicky Hopkins (piano on 08.)
Dr. John (keyboards on 03.)
Jimmy Johnson (drums on 01.)
Kirby Johnson (piano on 07.)
Jim Keltner (drums on 03., 05. + 08.)
Paul Keough (guitar on 07.)
Bobby Keys (saxophone on 03. + 08.)
Tony Levin (bass on 01.)
Ralph MacDonald (percussion on 03. + 05.)
Andy Newmark (drums on 02., percussion on 04. + 09.)
Richard Perry (percussion on 06.)
Robbie Robertson (guitar on 03.)
Jim Ryan (guitar  on 03. – 07. + 09., bass on 02., 04. + 09.)
Carly Simon (vocals, piano on 01., 02., 04. – 06., 09. + 10., guitar on 04., 07. + 09)
James Taylor (vocals on 03., guitar on 05.)
Klaus Voormann (bass on 03., 05. – 07.)
Willie Weeks (bass on 10.)
+
background vocals:
Liza Strike – Viki Brown (on 02

Carl Hall – Tasha Thomas- Lani Groves (on 05.)

Bonnie Bramlett – Doris Troy – Paul McCartney – Linda McCartney (on 08,)

Carole King – Abigale Haness – Kenny Moore (on 10.)

Tracklist:
01. That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be (from “Carly Simon”; 1971) (Simon/ Brackman 4.18
02. The Right Thing To Do (from “No Secrets”; 1972) ) (Simon) 3.01
03. Mockingbird (with James Taylor) (from “Hotcakes”; 1974) (Foxx/.Foxx/Taylor) 3.50
04. Legend in Your Own Time (from “Anticipation” ;1971) (Simon) 3.44
05. Haven’t Got Time For The Pain (from “Hotcakes”; 1974) (Simon/Brackman) 3.39
06. You’re So Vain (from “No Secrets”; 1972) (Simon) 4.18
07. (We Have) No Secrets (from “No Secrets”; 1972) (Simon) 3.57
08. Night Owl (from “No Secrets”; 1972) (Taylor) 3.51
09. Anticipation (from “Anticipation” ;1971) (Simon) 3.21
10. Attitude Dancing (from “Playing Possum”; 1975) (Simon/Brackman) 3.53

*
**

More from Carly Simon:

The official website:

Crosby, Stills & Nash – Carry On (1991)

Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills, and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, they are called Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). They are noted for their lasting influence on American music and culture, and for their intricate vocal harmonies, often tumultuous interpersonal relationships, and political activism.

CSN formed in 1968 shortly after Crosby, Stills and Nash performed together informally in July of that year, discovering they harmonized well. Crosby had been asked to leave the Byrds in late 1967, and Stills’ band Buffalo Springfield had broken up in early 1968; Nash left his band the Hollies in December, and by early 1969 the trio had signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records.

Their first album, Crosby, Stills & Nash, was released in May 1969, from which came two Top 40 hits, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” (No. 21) and “Marrakesh Express” (No. 28). In order to tour the album, the trio hired drummer Dallas Taylor and session bassist Greg Reeves, though they still needed a keyboardist; Ahmet Ertegun suggested Neil Young, who had played with Stills in Buffalo Springfield, and after some initial reluctance, the trio agreed, signing him on as a full member. The band, now named Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, started their tour, and played their second gig at the Woodstock festival in the early morning hours of August 18, 1969. The first album with Young, Déjà Vu, reached number one in several international charts in 1970, and remains their best selling album, going on to sell over 8 million copies with three hit singles: “Woodstock”, “Teach Your Children”, and “Our House”. The group’s second tour, which produced the live double album 4 Way Street (1971), was fraught with arguments between Young and Taylor, which resulted in Taylor being replaced by John Barbata, and tensions with Stills, which resulted in his being temporarily dismissed from the band. At the end of the tour the band split up. The group have since reunited several times, sometimes with and sometimes without Young, and have released eight studio and four live albums.

Crosby, Stills & Nash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and all three members were also inducted for their work in other groups: Crosby for the Byrds; Stills for Buffalo Springfield; and Nash for the Hollies. Neil Young has also been inducted as a solo artist and as a member of Buffalo Springfield but not as a member of CSN. They have not made a group studio album since 1999’s Looking Forward, and have been inactive as a performing unit since the end of 2015. Whether or not this break is permanent remains to be seen, as the group has often been inactive for years at a time.

Carry On is the twelfth album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, issued on Atlantic Records in 1991, generally for the European and Australian markets. It is a two-disc sampler of their four-disc box set, CSN, released two months previously in the United States and the United Kingdom. It features material spanning 1968 through 1990 from their catalogue of recordings as a group in addition to selections from Crosby & Nash, Manassas, and their individual solo albums. It was reissued on 30 June 1998 on the WEA International record label. This compilation should not be confused with the Stephen Stills box set of the same name released in 2013.

Where the box set is a more comprehensive overview, this one focuses on previously unreleased tracks, hits, and favorites. Of its 36 tracks, 13 had been unreleased previously, and nine contain all of the group’s Top 40 hits from the Billboard Hot 100. The group’s some-time partner Neil Young appears on eight tracks, including his own songs “Helpless” and “Ohio”. The previously-unreleased material includes studio recordings by the full quartet of “Helplessly Hoping” (originally released by the trio), “Taken at All” (originally by Crosby & Nash), and “The Lee Shore” (previously available only live).[2] The set also includes both the demo of “You Don’t Have to Cry”, the first recording they made as Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the three tracks from their most recent studio album as of 1991 that are also on the box set.

The original recordings were produced David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young, with assistance from Howard Albert, Ron Albert, Stanley Johnston, and Paul Rothchild. Audio engineers on the original recordings include Stephen Barncard, Larry Cox, Russ Gary, Don Gooch, Steve Gursky, Bill Halverson, David Hassinger, Andy Johns, and Jim Mitchell. The original masters were recorded at the following studios: Devonshire Sound Studio, Wally Heider Studios, The Record Plant, Rudy Recorders, the Sound Lab, Sunset Sound, Sunwest Studio, and Village Recorders in Los Angeles; United Studio in Hollywood; The Record Plant in New York City; Wally Heider Studios, His Master’s Wheels, and Rudy Recorders in San Francisco; Criteria Sound Studios in Miami; Island Studios in London; and Stephen Stills’ late 1960s home in Laurel Canyon. The selections were compiled for this set by Crosby, Stills, Nash, Gerry Tolman, and Yves Beauvais, with additional research by Joel Bernstein. (wikipeia)

This two-CD set, issued for the European and Australian markets, has proved among the most popular of Crosby, Stills & Nash’s imports since its release in 1998. Not as hefty, physically or monetarily, as the 1991 four-CD box, it limits itself to the group’s hits and popular and important LP cuts — many represented by outtake versions and alternate mixes — interspersed with popular tracks from the work of Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and David Crosby (solo and partnered together), and adds what is mostly the best of the previously unissued Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young material from the box. It’s a good survey of the trio’s best moments and the three members’ most effective solo outings, and presents their most appealing side — one assumes that a future Graham Nash compilation will include room for tracks like “I Used to Be a King” or “Military Madness” and that Crosby’s best stuff off of his first solo album will be compiled that way as well. The inclusion of Crosby’s 1968 version of “Guinevere,” the early alternate mix of “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” and a handful of additional outtakes that surfaced on the box are the places where the set departs from a standard best-of, but that departure is justified and welcome, separating this set from the So Far album, and anyone who didn’t spring for the four-CD set will be delighted. There are no notes, but none are needed either, and the only drawback for some will be the fact that the stuff isn’t presented in remotely chronological order. (by Bruce Eder)

Personnel:
David Crosby (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
Graham Nash (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion)
Stephen Stills (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion)
+
Neil Young (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards)
*
guitar:
Joel Bernstein – Danny Kortchmar – Michael Landau – David Lindley – Michael Stergis –  James Taylor

bass:
Jack Casady – Tim Drummond – Bob Glaub – Bruce Palmer – George “Chocolate” Perry –  Greg Reeves – Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels – Leland Sklar

keyboards:
Richard T. Bear, – Joel Bernstein – Craig Doerge – Mike Finnigan – Paul Harris – James Newton Howard

drums:
John Barbata – Russ Kunkel – Dallas Taylor

percussion:
Michael Fisher – Joe Lala – Efrain Toro, Jeff Whittaker
+
Tony Beard (drum programming)
Cyrus Faryar (bouzouki)
Jerry Garcia (pedal steel-guitar)
Wayne Goodwin (fiddle)
Branford Marsalis (saxophone)
John Sebastian (harmonica, backround vocals)
Joe Vitale (drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, vibraphone, flute)
+
background vocals:
Joel Bernstein – Rita Coolidge – Venetta Fields – Priscilla Jones – Clydie King – Sherlie Matthews – Dorothy Morrison – Timothy B. Schmit

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. C S N & Y: Woodstock (Mitchell) (1969:**) 3.54
02. C S & N: Marrakesh Express (Nash) 2.36
03. C S & N: You Don’t Have To Cry (Stills) (1968:†) 2.41
04. CS N & Y:  Teach Your Children (Nash) )1969) 2.54
05. Stephen Stills: Love the One You’re With (Stills) (1970) 3.06
06. CS N & Y: Almost Cut My Hair (Crosby) (1970; †) 8,51
07. C S & N: Wooden Ships (Crosby/Kantner/Stills) 5.27
08. C S & N: Dark Star (Stills) (1983; *) 4.58
09. C S N & Y: Helpless (Young) (1969) 3.37
10. Graham Nash: Chicago/We Can Change The World (Nash) (1971) 4.00
11. C S & N: Cathedral (Nash) (1977) 5-28
12. Stephen Stills: 4+20 (Stills) (1969; **) 2.11
13. C S N & Y: Our House (Nash) 2.59
14. David Crosby & Graham Nash: To the Last Whale…” (Crosby/Nash) (1975) 5.31
15. Stephen Stills: Change Partners (Stills/Crosby) (1971) 3.16
16. C S & N: Just A Song Before I Go (1977) 2.14
17. C S N & Y: Ohio (non-album single) (Young) (1970) 3.06
18. C S & N: Wasted On The Way (Nash) (1981) 2.50
19. C S & N: Southern Cross (Stills/R.Curtis/M.Curtis) (1981) 4.39

CD 2:
01. C S & N: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (Stills) (1969; ** ) 7.29
02. C S N & Y: Carry On/Questions (Stills) (1969) 4.27
03. C S N & Y: Horses Through A Rainstorm (Nash/Reid) (1969; ‡) 3.39
04. Manassas: Johnny’s Garden (Stills) (1972) 2.47
05. David Crosby: Guinnevere (Crosby) (1968: †) 4.46
06. C S N & Y: Helplessly Hoping (Stills) (1969: †) 2.32
07. C S N & Y: The Lee Shore (Crosby) (1969; †) 5.30
08. C S N & Y: Taken At All (Nash/Crosby) (1976; † ) 2:54
09. C S & N: Shadow Captain (Crosby/Doerge) (1977) 4.33
10. C S & N: As I Come Of Age (Stills) (1981; †) 2.49
11. David Crosby: Drive My Car (Crosby) (1978; †) 3.51
12. Steve Stills & Graham Nash: Dear Mr. Fantasy (Winwood/Capaldi/Wood( (1980;‡) 7.04
13. C S & N: In My Dreams (Crosby) (1977) 5.12
14. C S & N: Yours And Mine (Crosby) (1990) 4.28
15. C S & N: Haven’t We Lost Enough? (Stills/Cronin) (1990) 3.07
16. C S & N: After The Dolphin (Nash) (1989) 4.54
17. C S N & Y: Find the Cost Of Freedom (B-side of the “Ohio” single) (Stills) (1970) 1.59

An asterisk (*) indicates a live recording, two asterisks (**) a previously unreleased mix, (†) a previously unreleased version, and (‡) a previously unreleased song.

*
**

More from Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young):

Eric Clapton – The Cream Of Clapton (1994)

At his peak, Eric Clapton was nicknamed “God” by his fans, an indication of how highly regarded the guitarist was during his glory days. This phrase, immortalized in graffiti that spread across London in 1967, originated a few years earlier when Clapton was playing with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers just after leaving the Yardbirds in 1965. Clapton never was comfortable with the nickname — he embraced “Slowhand,” titling his 1977 album after it — but “Clapton Is God” is a pivotal part of his story and an instrumental moment in the rise of the guitar hero, a rock & roll cliché that didn’t exist prior to EC. To be sure, there were flashy players in blues and rock prior to Clapton, but nothing along the lines of Clapton, whose fame quickly eclipsed Mayall’s in the Bluesbreakers and whose playing became the centerpiece of Cream, the psychedelic power trio he co-led with bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker between 1966 and 1968.

Clapton was venerated for his fast-fingered solos (the “Slowhand” nickname was in jest) and that’s what people came to see. Although he sang some Cream songs, it took him a while before he embraced lead vocals, easing into a solo career after a stint with Delaney & Bonnie in 1969 and 1970. Clapton was so reticent to step to the front of the stage that he adopted a pseudonym for what’s regarded as his finest album, Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek & the Dominos, but after a bout with addiction that sidelined him through much of the early ’70s, he re-emerged as the pre-eminent guitarist of his generation, a sword-slinger who undercut his bravado with pretty ballads, like “Wonderful Tonight.”

The ’80s may not have treated Clapton kindly — he teamed with Phil Collins for albums designed to bring him hits that never materialized — but he reigned in the ’90s, benefitting from the acoustic authenticity of 1993’s Unplugged, which turned into one of his biggest records. After that LP, he went out of his way to boost his idols — he cut full albums with J.J. Cale and B.B. King — while occasionally taking an odd stylistic departure (his odd TDF side project with Simon Climie) but always reconnecting with the blues roots upon which his entire career lay, as evidenced by his relaxed 2021 album The Lady in the Balcony: Lockdown Sessions. (by Qilliam Ruhlman)

The Cream of Clapton is an Eric Clapton compilation album released in 1995. Additionally, the European and U.S.-versions have a different track listings. The European version had already been released as The Best of Eric Clapton (Polydor 511072) in 1991, though without the track “I Can’t Stand It”.

In addition to profiling Clapton’s solo work, the album also includes Clapton’s involvement in the bands Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominos. The sole track penned by Clapton on Blind Faith’s studio album is the only one included here.

Another nice compilation (with real good liner notes by Ray Coleman, author of the book “Clapton – The Biography)  … … and it is obvious that Eric Clapton’s most powerful phase was during the times when he played with Cream, Blind Faith and Derek & The Dominos..

Personnel:
Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals)
+
many, many studio musicians

Tracklist:
Derek and the Dominos:
01. Layla (Clapton/Gordon) (from Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, 1970) 7.10

Cream:
02. Badge (Clapton/Harrison) (from Goodbye, 1969) 2.43
03. I Feel Free (Brown/Bruce) (from Fresh Cream, 1966) 2.54
04. Sunshine Of Your Love (Brown, Bruce, Clapton) (from Disraeli Gears, 1967) 4.12
05. Crossroads (live) (Johnson) (from Wheels of Fire, 1968) 4.13
06. Strange Brew (Clapton/Pappalardi/Collins) (from Disraeli Gears, 1967) 2.47
07. White Room (Brown/Bruce) (from Wheels of Fire, 1968) 5.01

Derek and the Dominos:
08. Bell Bottom Blues (Clapton) (from Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, 1970) 5.04

Eric Clapton:
09. Cocaine (Cale) (from Slowhand, 1977) 3.35
10. I Shot The Sheriff (Marley) 4:22 (from 461 Ocean Boulevard, 1974) 4.23
11. After Midnight (Cale) (from Eric Clapton, 1970) 3.11
12. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Traditional) (from There’s One in Every Crowd, 1975) 3.28
13. Lay Down Sally (Clapton/Levy/Terry) (from Slowhand, 1977) 3-51
14. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Dylan) (non-album single, 1975) (Dylan) 4.24
15. Wonderful Tonight (Clapton) (from Slowhand, 1977) 3.41
16. Let It Grow (Clapton) (from 461 Ocean Boulevard, 1974) 4.56
17. Promises (Feldman/Linn) (from Backless, 1978) 3.00
18. I Can’t Stand It (Clapton) (from Another Ticket, 1981) 4.09

*
**

More from Eric Clapton:

The official website:

Earth, Wind & Fire – September (2001)

Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) are an American band who have spanned the musical genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, EDM, Latin, and Afro pop. They have been described as one of the most innovative and are among the most commercially successful acts in history. With sales of over 90 million records, they are one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time.

The band was founded in Chicago by Maurice White in 1969, having grown out of a previous band known as the Salty Peppers. Other prominent members of EWF have included Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Roland Bautista, Robert Brookins, Sonny Emory, Fred Ravel, Ronnie Laws, Sheldon Reynolds and Andrew Woolfolk. The band is known for its kalimba sound, dynamic horn section, energetic and elaborate stage shows, and the contrast between Philip Bailey’s falsetto vocals and Maurice White’s baritone.

The band has won 6 Grammys from their 17 nominations and four American Music Awards out of 12 nominations. They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame, and Hollywood’s Rockwalk, in addition to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The band has also received an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award, BET Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Soul Train Legend Award, as well as a NARAS Signature Governor’s Award, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2012 Congressional Horizon Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019. Rolling Stone called them “innovative, precise yet sensual, calculated yet galvanizing” and declared that the band “changed the sound of black pop”. VH1 has also described EWF as “one of the greatest bands” ever. (wikipedia)

Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the ’70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and occasional vocalist Maurice White, EWF’s all-encompassing musical vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.’s, and improvise like a jazz fusion outfit. Their stage shows were often as elaborate and dynamic as George Clinton’s P-Funk empire.

More than just versatility for its own sake, EWF’s eclecticism was part of a broader concept informed by a cosmic, mystical spirituality and an uplifting positivity the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the early days of Sly & the Family Stone. Tying it all together was the accomplished songwriting of Maurice White, whose intricate, unpredictable arrangements and firm grasp of hooks and structure made EWF one of the tightest bands in funk. Not everything they tried worked, but at their best, Earth, Wind & Fire seemingly took all that came before them and wrapped it up into one dizzying, spectacular package. (by Steve Huey)

And here´s a nice compilation with many of their hits.

Not my kind of music but ouf course a very important part of Rock & Funk in the hsitory of music !

Personnel.
various Earth, Wind & ire line-ups

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. September (M.White/McKay/Willis) (1978) 3.35
02. Let’s Groove (M.White/Vaughn) (1981) 4.03
03. Got To Get You Into My Life (single version) (Lennon/McCartney) (1978) 4.01
04. Serpentine Fire (M.White/V.White/Burke) (1977) 3.51
05. Getaway (album version) (Taylor/Cor) (1976) 3.44
06. Electricnation (M.White/Page/Fairweather) (1983) 4.31
07. Let Me Talk (album version) (M.White/Bailey/V.White/Dunn/McKay/Johnson) (1980) 4.07
08. Runnin’ (album version) (M.White/Dunn/Barrio) (1977) 5.52
09. Kalimba Story (album version) (M.White/A.White/Verdine) (1974) 4.02
10. I’m In Love (Hill/Spears/Young) (1990) 3.51
11. Be Ever Wonderful (M.White/Dunn) (1977) 5.07
12. Could It Be Right (album version) (M.White/Willis/Foster) (1983) 5.19

CD 2:
01. Boogie Wonderland (Lind/Willis) (1979) 4.44
02. Fantasy (M.White/Barrio/V.White) (1977) 3.44
03. Shining Star (M.White/Bailey) (1975) 2.52
04. Star (album version) (M.White/Willis/Barrio) (1979) 4.21
05. Moonwalk (Foster/O`Connor) (1983) 4.09
06. Sing A Song (album version) (M.White/McKay) (1975) 3.21
07. Touch (Lind/Page) (1983) 4.54
08. Miracles (M.White/Lind/Barrio/D´Astugues) (1982) 4.57
09. Reasons (M.White/Stepney/Bailey) (1975) 4.53
10. I’ll Write A Song For You (McKay/Bailey/Beckmeier) (1977) 5.19
11.  Daydreamin’ (Hill/Spears/Young/M.White) (1990) 3.57
12. Song In My Heart (M.White/Glenn/Russell) (1980) 4.17

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The official website:

Elvis Presley – All The Best (1988)

Elvis Presley belongs on the short list of artists who changed the course of popular music in the 20th century. He may not have invented rock & roll, but he was indisputably its first rock star, a singer whose charisma intertwined tightly with his natural talent for a combination that seemed combustible, sexy, and dangerous when Presley seized the imagination of America in 1956 with four successive number one singles in 1956. Elvis spent the next two decades near the top of the charts, weathering changes in fashion, self-inflicted career missteps, and comebacks as his music expanded and evolved. Throughout his career, Presley never abandoned the rock & roll he pioneered on his early singles for Sun Records, but he developed an effective counterpoint to his primal rockabilly by honing a rich, resonant ballad style while also delving into blues, country, and soul, progressions that came into sharp relief with his celebrated “comeback” in the late 1960s.

Some musical nuances were overshadowed by Presley’s phenomenal celebrity, a fame maintained by a long string of B-movies in the ’60s and extravagant Las Vegas shows in the ’70s, elements that were essential in creating a stardom that persisted long after his premature death in 1977. The myth of Elvis grew in his absence, aided by turning his Memphis home Graceland into a tourist attraction, which made him an enormous cultural icon only loosely tied to his rock & roll origins; fortunately, the passage of time helped clarify the depth and range of his musical achievements. He undeniably kick-started the rock & roll era, shaping the sound and attitudes of the last few decades of the 20th century in the process, but he also built a distinctive body of work that reflected the best of what American music has to offer. (by Richie Unterberger)

And here´s another low budget with 41 (!) songs from “the one and only Elvis Presley … many of them are not so popular. taken from from a time when he was still known, but no longer so successful as in the Fifties.

Enjoy this sentimental trip, but I missed “One Night” !

Personnel:
Elvis Presley (vocals)
+
many, many studio musicians

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Heartbreak Hotel (Axton/Durden/Presley) 2.09
02. Blue Suede Shoes (Perkins) 2.01
03. Hound Dog (Leiber/Stoller) 2.17
04. Don´t Be Cruel (Blackwell) 2.04
05. Love Me Tender Matson, Presley 2.47
06. Old Shep (Foley/Willis) 4.10
07. All Shook Up (Blackwell/Presley) 1.59
08. Loving You (Leiber/Stoller) 2.16
09. Teddy Bear (Mann/Lowe) 1.49
10. Jailhouse Rock (Leiber/Stoller) 2.26
11. Treat Me Nice (Leiber/Stoller) 2.14
12. Hard Headed Woman (De Metrius) 1.57
13. Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby (Otis/Hunter) 2.35
14. A Fool Such As I (Trader) 2.40
15. Stuck On You (McFarland/Schroeder) 2.17
16. It´s Now Or Never (Gold/Schroeder/di Capua) 3.16
17. Such A Night (Chase) 3.01
18. Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Turk/Handman) 3.08
19. Wooden Heart (Wise/Weisman/Twomey/Kaempfert) 2.03
20. Flaming Star (Edwards/Wayne) 2.26
21. Surrender (Pomus/Shuman/de Curtis) 1.54
22. Crying In The Chapel (Glenn) 2.24

CD 2:
01. Can’t Help Falling In Love (Peretti/Creatore/Weiss) 3.02
02. (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame (Pomus/Shuman) 2.09
03. Little Sister (Pomus/Shuman) 2.31
04. Good Luck Charm (Schroeder) 2.24
05. Suspicion (Pomus/Shuman) 2.35
06. Return To Sender (Blackwell/Scott) 2.09
07. (You’re The) Devil In Disguise (Giant/Baum/Kaye) 2.21
08. Viva Las Vegas (Pomus/Shuman) 2.13
09. Edge Of Reality (Giant/Baum/Kaye) 3.13
10. Don’t Cry Daddy (Davis) 2.47
11. In The Ghetto (Davis) 2.48
12. Suspicious Minds (James) 4.20
13. Kentucky Rain (Rabbitt/Heard) 3.23
14. Seperate Ways (West/Mainegra) 2.32
15. Burning Love (Linde) 2.55
16. The Wonder Of You (Knight) 2.38
17. American Trilogy (Newbury) 4.24
18. My Way (François/Revaux/Anka) 3.58
19. Softly As I Leave You (de Vita/Shaper) 2.56

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More from Elvis Presley:

James Taylor – Classic Songs (1987)

James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single “Fire and Rain” and had his first No. 1 hit in 1971 with his recording of “You’ve Got a Friend”, written by Carole King in the same year. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million copies in the US alone. Following his 1977 album JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.

Taylor is also known for his covers, such as “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” and “Handy Man”, as well as originals such as “Sweet Baby James”. He played the leading role in Monte Hellman’s 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop.

Classic Songs is the second compilation album by James Taylor. Only available in Europe it was, for a long time, the only compilation album to feature original versions of Taylor’s classics. It spanned from his original work to his That’s Why I’m Here album from 1985. (wikipedia)

For a long time, Classic Songs was the only compilation to feature the original versions of all of James Taylor’s classics from his debut up through 1985’s That’s Why I’m Here. Unfortunately, it was only available in Europe, yet it long remained the best, most comprehensive collection of his work. (by Chris Woodstraby Chris Woodstra)

Personnel:
James Taylor (vocals, guitar)
+
many, many studio musicians

Tracklist:
01. Fire And Rain (Taylor) 3.24
02, Mexico (Taylor) 3:00
03, You’ve Got a Friend (King) 4.30
04. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (Hollan/Dozier/Holland) 3.36
05. Carolina In My Mind (Taylor) 4.00
06. Something In The Way She Moves (Taylor) 3.09
07. Shower The People (Taylor) 4.31
08. Sweet Baby James (Taylor) 2.52
09. That’s Why I’m Here (Taylor) 3.38
10. Everyday (Holly/Petty) 3.12
11. Up On The Roof (Goffin/King) 4.20
12. Your Smiling Face (Taylor) 2.43
13. Her Town Too (Souther/Taylor/Wachtel) 4.25
14. Handy Man (Blackwell/Jones) 3.17
15. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (Taylor) 2.36
16. Only A Dream In Rio (Taylor) 4.57

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A low budget reissue from 1992:

More from James Taylor:

The official website:

John Mellencamp – The Best I Could Do (1978-1988) (1997)

John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, painter, actor, and film director. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation.

Mellencamp rose to fame in the 1980s while “honing an almost startlingly plainspoken writing style” that, starting in 1982, yielded a string of Top 10 singles, including “Hurts So Good”, “Jack & Diane”, “Crumblin’ Down”, “Pink Houses”, “Lonely Ol’ Night”, “Small Town”, “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.”, “Paper in Fire”, and “Cherry Bomb”. He has amassed 22 Top 40 hits in the United States. In addition, he holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with seven. Mellencamp has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning one. His latest album of original songs, Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, was released on January 21, 2022. Mellencamp has sold over 30 million albums in the US and over 60 million worldwide.

Mellencamp is also one of the founding members of Farm Aid, an organization that began in 1985 with a concert in Champaign, Illinois, to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Farm Aid concerts have remained an annual event over the past 37 years, and as of 2022 the organization has raised over $60 million.

Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008.[3] On June 14, 2018, Mellencamp was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 is the first greatest hits compilation album by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, released by Mercury Records in 1997 (see 1997 in music). It compiles Mellencamp’s most popular material recorded during his first decade with Riva and Mercury Records, beginning with 1978’s A Biography, up through 1987’s The Lonesome Jubilee, with a new recording of Terry Reid’s “Without Expression”. Mellencamp picked the songs for the album and also came up with the title for the album. The album reached No. 33 on the Billboard 200. This album and Rough Harvest came about because, after leaving Mercury Records for Columbia Records, Mellencamp still owed the label two more albums.

Robert Christgau described it as the best of John Mellencamp, which to him is not saying much. Entertainment Weekly gave the album a “B” rating, describing it as “uncomplicated but sophisticated.” (wikipedia)

The Best That I Could Do is an appropriately self-deprecating title for John Mellencamp’s greatest-hits collection, considering that the heartland rocker never seemed too convinced of his own worth. Of course, he had to struggle to get any respect after he was saddled with the stage name Johnny Cougar early in his career, but this 14-track collection proves that he was one of the best, unabashed straight-ahead rockers of the ’80s. The 14 tracks here actually turn out to be a little too short to contain all of his great singles — songs like “Rain on the Scarecrow,” “Rumbleseat,” “Pop Singer,” “Again Tonight,” and “What If I Came Knocking” are left off the collection (there’s nothing from 1988’s Big Daddy at all) — but it’s hard to argue with what’s here. Over the course of the collection, such classic rock hits as “I Need a Lover,” “Hurts So Good,” “Jack and Diane,” “Crumblin’ Down,” “Pink Houses,” “Lonely Ol’ Night,” “Small Town,” “Paper in Fire,” “Cherry Bomb,” and “Check It Out” are chronicled, with a new cover of Terry Reid’s “Without Expression” added for good measure. It may fall short of being definitive, but only by a small margin, and it remains an excellent overview and introduction to Mellencamp’s remarkably consistent body of work. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Personnel:
Kenny Aronoff (drums, background vocals, hammer dulcimer, vibraphone on 02.)
John Cascella (keyboards, accordion)
Larry Crane (guitar, harmonica, background vocals, flutophone)
Carroll Sue Hill (keyboards, background vocals)
John Mellencamp (vocals, guitar)
Toby Myers (bass, background vocals)
Eric Rosser (keyboards)
+
Brian Bekvar (keyboards on 01.)
Dane Clark (drums on 14.)
Robert “Ferd” Frank (bass, background vocals on 01.)
Lisa Germano (violin)
Tom Knowles (drums on 01.)
George “Chocolate” Perry (bass on 03.)
Mick Ronson (guitar and background vocals on 04.)
Rick Shlosser (drums on 02.)
Miriam Sturm (violin on 14.)
Mike Wanchic (guitar, background vocals on 14.)
Andy York (guitar, background vocals on 14.)
Moe Z (keyboards, background vocals on 14.)
+
background vocals:
Pat Peterson – Crystal Taliefero – Sarah Flint – Dave Parman

Tracklist:
01. I Need A Lover (Mellencamp) (from “A Biography”;1978) (1) 5.36
02. Ain’t Even Done With The Night (Mellencamp)  (from “Nothin’ Matters And What If It Did”; 1980) 4.36
03. Hurts So Good (Mellencamp/Green) (from “American Fool”; 1982) (1) 3.39
04. Jack And Diane (Mellencamp) (from “American Fool”; 1982) (1) 4.14
05. Crumblin’ Down (Mellencamp/Green) (from “Uh-Huh”; 1983) 3.34
06. Pink Houses (Mellencamp) (from “Uh-Huh”; 1983) 4.44
07. Authority Song (Mellencamp) (from “Uh-Huh”; 1983) 3.48
08. Lonely Ol’ Night (Mellencamp) (from “Scarecrow”; 1985) 3.43
09. Small Town (Mellencamp) (from “Scarecrow”; 1985) 3.41
10. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (Mellencamp) (from “Scarecrow”; 1985) 2.54
11. Paper In Fire (Mellencamp) (from “The Lonesome Jubilee”; 1987) 3.51
12. Cherry Bomb (Mellencamp) (from “The Lonesome Jubilee”; 1987) 4.48
13. Check It Out  (from “The Lonesome Jubilee”; 1987) 4.19
14. Without Expression (Reid) (previously unreleased; 1997) 5.06

(1) first released by John Mellencamp under the stage name “Johnny Cougar”

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The official website:

Kiki Dee – I´ve Got The Music In Me (2001)

Pauline Matthews (born 6 March 1947), better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown’s Tamla Records.

Dee is best known for her 1973 hit “Amoureuse”, her 1974 hit “I’ve Got the Music in Me” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, her 1976 duet with Elton John, which went to number 1 on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her 1981 single “Star” became the theme song for the talent show Opportunity Knocks when it was revived by the BBC in 1987. In 1993, she performed another duet with John for his Duets album, a cover version of Cole Porter’s “True Love”, which reached number 2 in the UK. During her career, she has released 40 singles, three EPs and 12 albums.

Dee was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. At the age of 10 she won a local talent contest, and at 16 she had her first paid job in show business. “I realised when I sang at family parties and Christmases I’d suddenly get everyone’s attention and, being the youngest of three, I thought what a brilliant attention-seeking ploy it was,” stated Dee in a 2013 interview. She went on to say: “My older brother had a lot of Elvis on vinyl and really that was my first introduction to music during the Fifties.”

Aged 16, Dee worked at Boots in Bradford during the day, whilst in the evenings she sang songs with a dance band in Leeds. A record scout liked her singing and invited her to London to do an audition. There, in 1963, she signed as a solo artist to Fontana Records.

After singing with a local band in Bradford in the early 1960s, Dee began her recording career as a session singer. She sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, among others, but did not achieve solo success in the UK for many years. In 1963, Dee released her first single, “Early Night”, the first of eleven singles on Fontana, none of which reached the charts. Her 1966 release “Why Don’t I Run Away From You” (a cover of Tami Lynn’s “I’m Gonna Run Away From You”) was a big hit on Radio London and Radio Caroline, and she sang the B-side “Small Town” in her appearance in Dateline Diamonds the same year. Also in 1966, she achieved wider coverage by singing “Take a Look at Me” in the hit comedy, Doctor in Clover. She brought out an EP, Kiki In Clover – which included “Take a Look at Me” – at the same time as the film’s release.

She recorded her debut album, I’m Kiki Dee, in 1968 which included a series of Phil Spector-style tracks and covers. Her 1968 release “On a Magic Carpet Ride”, which was originally a B-side, has remained popular on the Northern soul circuit. Much of her early recorded work for Fontana Records, was released on 24 January 2011, on the CD compilation I’m Kiki Dee.

Songwriter Mitch Murray created her stage name, and penned her first single, “Early Night”. In the United States she became the first white British artist to be signed by Motown, releasing her first Motown single in 1970.

In the days before BBC Radio 1, Dee was a regular performer of cover versions on BBC Radio, and she starred with a group of session singers in the BBC Two singalong series, One More Time. She also appeared in an early episode of The Benny Hill Show in January 1971, performing the Blood, Sweat and Tears hit, “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”. Nevertheless, it was only after she signed with Elton John’s label, The Rocket Record Company, that she became a household name in the UK. Her first major solo hits were “Amoureuse”[1] (written by Véronique Sanson, with English lyrics by Gary Osborne) (1973) and “I’ve Got the Music in Me” (written by Tobias Stephen Boshell), the latter credited to the Kiki Dee Band (1974). In addition to her burgeoning career as a lead vocalist, she could sometimes be heard singing backing vocals on various John recordings, such as “All the Girls Love Alice” from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and various tracks on Rock of the Westies.

Kiki Dee, Ronnie Wood and Mick Hucknall perform during the Helping The Heart of Music Concert in aid of the PRS members benevolent fund starring the ‘Faces’ supported by the ‘Rhythm Kings’ on October 25, 2009 in London, England:

Her biggest hit came in 1976, when she replaced an ailing Dusty Springfield for the recording of a duet with John, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (pseudonymously written by John and lyricist Bernie Taupin). The single reached number 1 in both the UK and US, remaining at the top for six weeks in the UK. At the end of the summer, she played as support act to Queen at their Hyde Park concert in front of a crowd of 150,000 people. Prior to the concert, in an interview for Record Mirror, she stated, “My confidence is at an all-time high.”

After a quiet period in the late 1970s, Dee launched a comeback in 1981, releasing one of her biggest hits, “Star”, written by Doreen Chanter of the Chanter Sisters. This later became the theme music to the BBC1 programme Opportunity Knocks between 1987 and 1990. Dee joined forces again with John in 1981, recording a cover of the Four Tops’ song “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever” which was written by Ivy Jo Hunter and Stevie Wonder. Both of these were included on her album Perfect Timing, which became a modest hit on the album chart, and she supplied backing vocals for John’s 1983 album Too Low for Zero. Dee also sang the song “What Can’t Speak Can’t Lie” (1983), composed and recorded by the Japanese jazz fusion group Casiopea, and with lyrics by Gary Osborne.

She performed at Live Aid in 1985, reprising “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with John, and performing backing vocals on the other songs in his set. She also contributed backing vocals to John’s 1992 album The One, and a year later recorded “True Love” with John for his 1993 album Duets.

Dee released the live album Almost Naked, a joint effort with Carmelo Luggeri in 1995, followed by the studio albums Where Rivers Meet (1998) and The Walk Of Faith (2005) with Luggeri. In September 2013, Dee and Luggeri released their third studio album, A Place Where I Can Go, on Spellbound Records. They have been touring together ever since.

Dee’s single “Sidesteppin’ with a Soul Man,” released in October 2013, was her 40th single release.

Dee has also appeared in musical theatre, notably in the lead role in Willy Russell’s West End musical Blood Brothers, in which she took on the role originally played by Barbara Dickson for the 1988 production and recording. She received an Olivier Award nomination in 1989 in the Best Actress in a Musical category. In 1990, she contributed to the last recording studio collaboration between Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, on the album Freudiana, performing “You’re On Your Own” and part of “No One Can Love You Better Than Me”.

In 2008, Dee’s first DVD was released. Under The Night Sky was a collaboration with guitarist Carmelo Luggeri, filmed live at the Bray Studios in London; the music was produced by Ted Carfrae. That same year, several albums from her earlier 1970s–1980s Rocket catalogue were re-released by EMI Records, including an expanded edition of Almost Naked with extra tracks, such as a cover of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” and a new take on “Sugar on the Floor”. The same year, Demon Records (UK) issued a remastered edition of Perfect Timing, with several bonus tracks, including an alternate mix of “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever.”

Dee had previously starred in Pump Boys and Dinettes in London’s West End, at the Piccadilly Theatre, from 20 September 1984 to 8 June 1985.

In 2019, Dee was portrayed by actress Rachel Muldoon in the Elton John biopic Rocketman.

In her 40s, Dee was diagnosed with uterine cancer. (wikipedia)

And here´s a nice low budget sampler with many of their hits (includig two sngles from the Sixties) … she had a real good Pop-Soul feeling !

I think she could have done a lot more with her voice.

Personnel:
Kiki Dee (vocals)
+
many, many studio musicians

Tracklist:
01. Amoureuse (Sanson/Osbourne) (1973) 4.10
02. Loving & Free (Dee) (1973) 4.21
03. Chicago (Conrad/Goodman) (1977) 4.21
04. I’ve Got The Music In Me (Boshell) (1974) 5.03
05. (You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am (Harrison/Williams) (1975) 4.00
06. Step By Step (Boshell) (1974) 4.33
07. Dark Side Of Your Soul (Dee/Lasley/Zane) (1978) 4.04
08. Why Don’t I Run Away From You (Berns) (1974) 2.40
09. Runnin’ Out Of Fools (Ahlert/Rodgers) (1965) 2.35
10. Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing (AShford/Simpson) (1975) 2.26
11. One Jump Ahead Of The Storm (Seals/Joseph) (1978) 3.26
12. First Thing In The Morning (Bosell) (1977) 5.49
13. Talk To Me (Dee/Lasley/Zane) (1978) 3.29
14. You Need Help (Boshell) (1976) 6.04
15. You’re Holding Me Too Tight (Golde/Weill) 3.59
16. One Step (Snow/Ballard) (1978) 3.31
17. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Gaudio/Crewe) (1968) 3.07
18. Stay With Me, Baby (Ragovoy/Weiss) (1978) 3.59

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More from Kiki Dee:

The official website:

Rod Stewart – Downtown Train – Selections From The Storyteller Anthology (1990)

Sir Roderick David Stewart CBE (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry.

With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 250 million records worldwide. He has had 10 number-one albums and 31 top ten singles in the UK, 6 of which reached number one. Stewart has had 16 top ten singles in the US, with four reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. He was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to music and charity. (wikipedia)

Downtown Train is a compilation album released by Rod Stewart in March 1990. It was a US only release by Warner Bros. Records (WEA 926 158-1/2).

The album is made up of twelve tracks from the previously released Storyteller Anthology. The album is skewed toward the more recent period of Rod’s career, most of the songs dating after 1980.

Included, however, is Stay with Me, a contemporary sounding song from 1971. This is also the only song on Downtown Train that is not from Rod’s solo catalog, though Storyteller includes ten. In the US Downtown Train would peak at #20 and by 1995 would be double platinum. (wikipedia)

A good and nice compilation album … Great mix for any Rod fan!

Personnel:
Rod Stewart (vocals)
+
many, many studio musicians

Tracklist:
01. Stay With Me (Stewart/Wood) 4.39
02. Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright) (Stewart) 3.56
03. The Killing Of Georgie (Part I and II) (Stewart) 6.27
04. Passion (Chen/Cregan/Grainger/Savigar/Stewart) 5.32
05. Young Turks (Appice/Hitchings/Savigar/Stewart) 5.03
06. Infatuation (Hitchings/Robinson/Stewart) 5.14
07. People Get Ready (feat. Jeff Beck) (Mayfield) 4.55
08. Forever Young (Cregan/Savigar/Dylan/Stewart) 4.06
09. My Heart Can’t Tell You No (Climie/Morgan) 5.14
10. I Don’t Want To Talk About It (Whitten) 4.53
11. This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak for You) (L.Dozier/Holland/B.Holland/Moy) 4.12
12. Downtown Train (Tom Waits) 4.39

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More from Rod Stewart:

The official website:

Blondie – The Best Of Blondie (1989)

Blondie is an American rock band co-founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York. Their first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although highly successful in the United Kingdom and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next five years, the band achieved several hit singles including “Heart of Glass”, “Call Me”, “Atomic”, “The Tide Is High”, and “Rapture”. The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles, incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, and early rap music.

Blondie disbanded after the release of its sixth studio album, The Hunter, in 1982. Debbie Harry continued to pursue a solo career with varied results after taking a few years off to care for partner Chris Stein, who was diagnosed with pemphigus, a rare autoimmune disease of the skin. The band re-formed in 1997, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom with “Maria” in 1999, exactly 20 years after their first UK No. 1 single (“Heart of Glass”).

The group toured and performed throughout the world during the following years, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.[5] Blondie has sold around 40 million records worldwide and is still active. The band’s eleventh studio album, Pollinator, was released on May 5, 2017.

The Best of Blondie (released in Germany and the Netherlands as Blondie’s Hits) is the first greatest hits album by American rock band Blondie. It was released on October 31, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. The album peaked at number four in the United Kingdom and number 30 in the United States, while becoming the band’s only number-one album in Australia.

The album was issued in several versions with different track inclusion and running order which varied slightly between North American and international editions of The Best of Blondie, highlighting the popularity of particular songs in different countries. The US and Canadian editions included “One Way or Another”, which was not issued as a single in Europe. The international version of the album included three songs that were not on the North American release: “Denis”, “Picture This” and “Union City Blue”.

Blondie’s producer Mike Chapman remixed three tracks specially for this album. The special mix of “Heart of Glass” is a version that combines elements from the original album version (also the 7″ single mix in the UK) and the instrumental version. The special mix of “In the Flesh” is a Phil Spector-esque mix, with much echo. The special mix of “Sunday Girl” mixes vocals from the previously released French-language version of the song with the original English version. Additionally, “Rapture” appears in an edited version of the 12″ Disco Mix released in the UK and Europe and includes an extra verse that did not appear on the album Autoamerican, on which the song was originally issued.

The album cover was shot in June 1978 by British photographer Martyn Goddard on a rooftop in Midtown Manhattan. (wikipedia)

Although Blondie made several first-rate albums, most of their best songs were released as singles, which makes The Best of Blondie an essential collection. The Best of Blondie glosses over their punk roots — very little from the first album, apart from the vicious “Rip Her to Shreds” and the seductive “In the Flesh” — but the band’s pop hits are among the finest of their era and encapsulate all of the virtues of new wave. Apart from genuine chart hits like “Heart of Glass,” “One Way or Another,” “Dreaming,” “Call Me,” “Atomic,” “The Tide Is High,” and “Rapture,” Best of Blondie picks up several of the group’s best album tracks, like “(I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear” and “Hanging on the Telephone.” The Best of Blondie isn’t all you need to know, but it is an excellent introduction to one of the best new wave bands. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Personnel:
Clem Burke (drums)
Jimmy Destri (keyboards)
Nigel Harrison (bass)
Deborah Harry (vocals)
Frank Infante (guitar)
Chris Stein (guitar)

Tracklist:
01.Heart Of Glass (special mix) (taken from “Parallel Lines”; 1978) (Harry/Stein) 4.34
02. Denis (taken from “Plastic Letters”; 1977) (Levenson)  2.18
03. The Tide Is High (taken from Autoamerican”; 1980)  (Holt) 4.39
04. In The Flesh (special mix) (taken from “Blondie”; 1976) (Harry/Stein) 2.31
05. Sunday Girl (special mix) (taken from “Parallel Lines”; 1978) (Stein) 3.04
06. Dreaming (taken from “Eat To The Beat”; 1979) (Harry/Stein) 3.06
07. Hanging On The Telephone (taken from “Parallel Lines”; 1978)  (Lee) 2.22
08. Rapture (taken from Autoamerican”; 1980) (Stein/Harry) 5.35
09. Picture This (taken from “Parallel Lines”; 1978) (Harry/Stein/Destri) 2.57
10. Union City Blue (taken from “Eat To The Beat”; 1979) (Harry/Harrison) 3.22
11. (I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear (taken from “Plastic Letters”; 1977)  (Valentine) 2.42
12. Call Me (taken fom “American Gigolo”; 1980) (Moroder/Harry) 3.32
13. Atomic (taken from “Eat To The Beat”; 1979) (Harry/Destri) 4.40
14. Rip Her To Shreds (taken from “Blondie”; 1976) (Harry/Stein) 3.21

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