Daddy Cool – Daddy’s Coolest – The 20 Greatest Hits Of Daddy Cool (1982)

Daddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan (bass, vocals), Ross Hannaford (lead guitar, bass, vocals), Ross Wilson (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica) and Gary Young (drums, vocals) . Their debut single “Eagle Rock” was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks. Their debut July 1971 LP Daddy Who? Daddy Cool also reached number 1 and became the first Australian album to sell more than 100,000 copies. The group’s name came from the 1957 song “Daddy Cool” by US rock group The Rays. Daddy Cool included their version of this song on Daddy Who? Daddy Cool.

Daddy Cool’s music was originally largely 1950s Doo-wop style cover versions and originals mostly written by Wilson. On stage they provided a danceable sound which was accessible and fun. Their second album, Sex, Dope, Rock’n’Roll: Teenage Heaven from January 1972, also reached the Top Ten. Breaking up in August 1972, Daddy Cool briefly reformed during 1974–1975 before disbanding again, they reformed with the band’s original line-up in 2005. Their iconic status was confirmed when they were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame on 16 August 2006. At the Music Victoria Awards of 2014, Daddy Cool was also inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame.

Daddy’s Coolest (also known as Daddy’s Coolest: Volume 1 or Daddy’s Coolest: The 20 Greatest Hits of Daddy Cool) is the sixth compilation album by Australian rock band Daddy Cool, released in 1982. The album peaked at number 5 on the Australian Kent Music Report and at number 29 on the Recorded Music NZ albums charts. It includes tracks from Daddy Cool’s two studio albums Daddy Who? Daddy Cool and Sex, Dope, Rock’n’Roll: Teenage Heaven. The album was re-released in 1992, which reached number 35 on the ARIA Charts. (wikipedia)

Just about the time that Sha Na Na was starting to attract attention from the U.S. press as an oldies revival band, half a world away in Australia, Daddy Cool was going in a similar direction on a very different path.

The were highly theatrical and animated, but not in the broad, burlesque manner of Sha Na Na. Daddy Cool was closer to a real-life Ruben & the Jets, with touches of unique, down-under British looniness (weird headgear and propeller beanies) and a highly animated presentation that shook up the Australian concert scene. (by Bruce Eder)

Personnel:
Ross Hannaford (lead guitar, bass, vocals)
Wayne Duncan (bass, vocals)
Ross Wilson (vocals, guitar, harmonica)
Gary Young (drums, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Eagle Rock (Wilson) 4-09
02. Daddy Cool (Sla/Crewe) 2.31
03. Come Back Again (Wilson) 3.31
04. Lollypop (Ross/Dixon) 1.41
05. Hi Honey Ho (Wilson) 3.36
06. Sixty Minute Man (Ward/Marks) 2.23
07. Bom Bom (Wilson/Hannaford) 2.34
08. At The Rockhouse (Wilson) 3.44
09. Rock ‘N’ Roll Lady (Young) 2.52
10. I’ll Never Smile Again (Lowe) 4.19
11. Good Golly, Miss Molly (Blackwell/Marascalco) 2.15
12. You Never Can Tell (Berry) 2.22
13. One Night (Bartholomew/King/Steiman) 2.42
14. Teenage Blues (Wilson) 3.38
15. Boogie Man (Wilson) 3.17
16. Cherry Pie (Bihari/Phillips) 3.19
17. Just As Long As We’re Together (Wilson) 2.31
18. Please, Please America (Wilson/Hannaford) 3.10
19. Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (McRae/Wyche) 3.24
20. Daddy Rocks Off (Wilson) 4.34

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The official website:

Paul Simon – Negotiations And Love Songs 1971-1986 (1988)

Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music.

Simon was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in the borough of Queens in New York City. He began performing with his schoolfriend Art Garfunkel in 1956 when they were still in their early teens. After limited success, the pair reunited after an electrified version of their song “The Sound of Silence” became a hit in 1966. Simon & Garfunkel recorded five albums together featuring songs mostly written by Simon, including the hits “Mrs. Robinson”, “America”, “Bridge over Troubled Water”, and “The Boxer”

After Simon & Garfunkel split in 1970, Simon recorded three acclaimed albums over the following five years,[2] all of which charted in the top 5 on the Billboard 200. His 1972 self-titled album contained the hit songs “Mother and Child Reunion” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”. The 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years, which featured guest vocals from Garfunkel, was his first number-one solo album, and featured the number 1 hit single “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”, among other top-40 songs such as “Still Crazy After All These Years”, “Gone at Last”, and “My Little Town”.

Simon reunited with Garfunkel for a performance in New York Central Park in 1981, drawing half a million spectators, followed by a world tour with Garfunkel. After a career slump, Simon released Graceland, an album inspired by South African township music, which sold 14 million copies worldwide and remains his most popular and acclaimed solo work.[3] A number of hit singles were released from the album, including “You Can Call Me Al”, “The Boy in the Bubble”, and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”. It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1987.

Simon continued to tour throughout the 1990s, wrote a Broadway musical, The Capeman, and recorded a companion album, Songs from The Capeman which was released in 1997. His 2000 album You’re the One was nominated again for Album of the Year honors. He followed that album up with several years of touring, including another reunion tour with Garfunkel, and released Surprise, his last album of the decade, in 2006.

In 2016 he released Stranger to Stranger, which debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Album Chart and number 1 the UK Albums Chart, and marked his greatest commercial and critical success in thirty years. His most recent album is 2018’s In the Blue Light, which contains re-arrangements of lesser-known songs from his prior albums.

Simon has earned sixteen Grammy Awards for his solo and collaborative work, including three for Album of the Year (Bridge Over Troubled Water, Still Crazy After All These Years, and Graceland), and a Lifetime Achievement Award.[4] He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: first in 1990 as a member of Simon & Garfunkel and again in 2001 for his solo career.[5] In 2006 he was selected as one of the “100 People Who Shaped the World” by Time.[6] In 2011, Rolling Stone named Simon one of the 100 greatest guitarists, and in 2015 he was ranked eighth in their list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Simon was the first recipient of the Library of Congress’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007.

Negotiations and Love Songs is a compilation album of songs by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released in 1988 and consisting of songs released from 1971 to 1986. The title of the compilation is taken from a line in the song “Train in the Distance.”

Paul Simon replaced his earlier compilation, Greatest Hits, Etc. (1977), with this one, allowing Hits to go out of print. Fans may well wish that he had simply put together a Greatest Hits, Etc., Vol. 2 instead, however, since this is a case of a 16-track album covering 15 years replacing a 14-track album covering five years while containing nine of the same songs. All the major hits have been retained (though “Mother and Child Reunion” and “Loves Me Like a Rock” each have been shortened by 15 seconds), along with some of Simon’s odd album track choices, such as “Have a Good Time.”

From the post-1977 period, you have the 1980 Top Ten hit “Late in the Evening,” three selections from the underrated Hearts and Bones, and two from Graceland. (The original double-LP version of Negotiations and Love Songs contained a third, the Grammy Record of the Year-winning title song, but the in-print CD and cassette versions do not.) The result is more sampler than compilation. An artist of Simon’s caliber is difficult to condense, and most of the tracks here are worthy, but as a single-album career retrospective, this could have been better. (by William Ruhlmann)

Personnel:
Paul Simon (vocals, guitar)
+
many, many studio musicians (see booklet)

Tracklist:
01. Mother And Child Reunion (from Paul Simon; 1972) 2.49
02. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard (from Paul Simon; 1972) 2.43
03. Something So Right (from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon: 1973) 4.30
04. St. Judy’s Comet (fromThere Goes Rhymin’ Simon; 1973) 3.17
05. Loves Me Like  Rock (from  There Goes Rhymin’ Simon;1973) 3.18
06. Kodachrome (from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon; 1973) 3.30
07. Have A Good Time (Still Crazy After All These Years; 1975) 3.23
08. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (fom Still Crazy After All These Years;1975) 3.32
09. Still Crazy After All These Years (from Still Crazy After All These Years; 1975) 3.22
10. Late In The Evening (from One-Trick Pony; 1980) 3.54
11. Slip Slidin’ Away (from Greatest Hits, Etc.;1977) 4.43
12. Hearts And Bones (from Hearts and Bones; 1983) 5.38
13. Train In The Distance (from Hearts and Bones; 1983) 4.22
14. Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War (from Hearts and Bones; 1983) 3.43
15. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes (from Graceland;1986) 5.46
126. You Can Call Me Al (from Graceland;1986) 4.40

All written by Paul Simon
except except “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes,” co-written by Joseph Shabalala..

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More from Paul Simon:

Queen – Greatest Hits (1992)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970. Their classic line-up was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals) and John Deacon (bass). Their earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock.

Before forming Queen, May and Taylor had played together in the band Smile. Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. He joined in 1970 and suggested the name “Queen”. Deacon was recruited in February 1971, before the band released their eponymous debut album in 1973. Queen first charted in the UK with their second album, Queen II, in 1974. Sheer Heart Attack later that year and A Night at the Opera in 1975 brought them international success. The latter featured “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which stayed at number one in the UK for nine weeks and helped popularise the music video format.

The band’s 1977 album News of the World contained “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”, which have become anthems at sporting events. By the early 1980s, Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world. “Another One Bites the Dust” from The Game (1980) became their best-selling single, while their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits is the best-selling album in the UK and is certified nine times platinum in the US. Their performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert is ranked among the greatest in rock history by various publications. In August 1986, Mercury gave his last performance with Queen at Knebworth, England. In 1991, he died of bronchopneumonia—a complication of AIDS. Deacon retired in 1997. Since 2004, May and Taylor have toured under the “Queen +” name with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.

Queen have been a global presence in popular culture for more than four decades. Estimates of their record sales range from 170 million to 300 million, making them one of the world’s best-selling music artists. In 1990, Queen received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and with each member having composed hit singles all four were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005 they received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors, and in 2018 they were presented the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

And here´s their Greatest Hits US editon from 1992, not to be confused with other Greatest Hits editions !

This is going to take a little explaining. In 1981, when it was contracted to Elektra Records in the U.S., Queen released an album called Greatest Hits (Elektra 564), which contained 14 songs that chronicled singles from 1973 to 1981. In 1990, Hollywood Records acquired CD rights to Queen’s catalog, by which time the Elektra Greatest Hits had gone out of print on vinyl. Hollywood released Classic Queen, a compilation that covered Queen’s hits from 1982 to its demise in 1991, with a few older songs thrown in.

Then it released this album, its version of Greatest Hits, which is a 17-track album that deletes the songs from the first Greatest Hits that appeared on Classic Queen (among them Queen’s biggest hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody”) and adds a few tracks from the 1973-1982 era that did not appear on the original release. The Elektra Greatest Hits LP had a superior selection, but it’s gone now, so you’re stuck with this. (New fans don’t seem to have minded, as this new Greatest Hits sold better than the first one.)

Personnel:
John Deacon (bass, guitar, piano, synthesizer)
Brian May (guitar, synthesizer, vocals on 06.
Freddie Mercury (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, guitar)
Roger Taylor (drums, percussion)
+
Roy Thomas Baker (stylophone on 12.)
Fred Mandel (synthesizer on 17.)

Tracklist:
01. We Will Rock You (May) 2.02
02. We Are The Champions (Mercury) 3.01
03. Another One Bites The Dust (Deacon) 3.37
04. Killer Queen (Mercury) 3.01
05. Somebody To Love (Mercury) 4.57
06. Fat Bottomed Girls (LP version) (May) 4.16
07. Bicycle Race (Mercury) 3.03
08. You’re My Best Friend (Deacon) 2.52
09. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Mercury) 2.43
10. Now I’m Here (May) 4.14
11. Play The Game (Mercury) 3.31
12. Seven Seas Of Rhye (Mercury) 2:48
13. Body Language (from Hot Space, 1982) (Mercury) 4.33
14. Save Me (May) 3.48
15. Don’t Stop Me Now (Mercury) 3.34
16. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (Mercury) 2.55
17. I Want To Break Free” (from The Works, 1984)(Deacon) 3.19

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Village People – The Best Of Village People (1994)

Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the release of the debut album Village People, which targeted disco’s large gay audience. The group’s name refers to Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, with its reputation as a gay neighborhood. The characters were a symbolic group of American masculinity and macho gay-fantasy personas. As of 2020, Victor Willis is the only original member of the group.

The group quickly became popular and moved into the mainstream, scoring several disco and dance hits internationally, including the hit singles “Macho Man”, “In the Navy”, “Go West” and their biggest hit, “Y.M.C.A.”. In March 2020, the US Library of Congress described the last as “an American phenomenon” and added the song to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.

Due to their easily recognizable characters, the group have frequently been imitated or parodied in movies, television series, video games and music. Numerous covers and homages of their songs have been recorded. Examples of homages and parody include an episode of the 1990s CGI show ReBoot, a scene in the 1993 film Wayne’s World 2, a mention in the 1991 comedy City Slickers, a 1993 episode of Married… with Children, the 1997 video for U2’s single “Discotheque”, a 2000 episode of 3rd Rock From the Sun, and the 2013 animated film Despicable Me 2.

The leather-clad biker character with a horseshoe mustache has also become a widespread pop culture icon associated with gay culture, and “Y.M.C.A.” has become something of an anthem of the LGBT community. According to Jack Fritscher, Jacques Morali drew his inspiration for the character from the dress code of the gay BDSM leather bar and sex club The Mineshaft. Leather man Hughes frequented the club.

In AllMusic’s entry on the group, Ron Wynn summarized them as “part clever concept, part exaggerated camp act” who were “worldwide sensations during disco’s heyday and keep reviving like the phoenix.” Village Voice critic Robert Christgau originally found the group to be a humorous annoyance, but warmed to their music after listening to the 1978 album Cruisin’; he wrote in Christgau’s Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): “I give up—I’ve never been capable of resisting music this silly. At least this time they’re not singing the praises of ‘macho,’ a term whose backlash resurgence is no laughing matter, and the gay stereotyping—right down to ‘The Women,’ every one a camp heroine of screen or disc—is so cartoonish that I can’t imagine anyone taking it seriously. As for all the straights who think ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is about playing basketball, well, that’s pretty funny too.” (wikipedia)

And here´s a sampler  … “The Best Of”…

As everyone can probably imagine, this is definitely not the music I like. But the blog is supposed to cover all facets of music … so I ask for your understanding !

Personnel:

Original seven members

Victor Willis (Cop/Admiral/Athlete/Gigolo/nondescript)
Felipe Rose (Native American)
Alex Briley (GI/nondescript)
Lee Mouton (Biker)
Mark Mussler (Construction worker)
David Forrest (Cowboy)
Peter Whitehead (nondescript)

1977 to 1979

Victor Willis (Cop/Admiral/Athlete/Gigolo/nondescript)
Felipe Rose (Native American)
Alex Briley (GI/Sailor)
Glenn Hughes (Leather man)
David Hodo (Construction worker)
Randy Jones (Cowboy)

1979 to 1980

Ray Simpson (Cop)
Felipe Rose (Native American)
Alex Briley (GI/Sailor)
Glenn Hughes (Leather man)
David Hodo (Construction worker)
Randy Jones (Cowboy)
+
a bunch of many studio musicians

Tracklist:
01. Y.M.C.A. (Morali/Belolo/Willis) 4.48
02. Macho Man (12″ version) (Morali/Belolo/Willis/Whitehead) 5.15
03. Can’t Stop The Music (Morali/Belolo/Hurtt/Whitehead) 3.39
04. San Francisco (You’ve Got Me) (Morali/Belolo/Whitehead/Hurtt) 5.19
05. In Hollywood (Everybody Is A Star) (Morali/Belolo/Hurtt) 4.55
06. Ready For The 80’s (12″ version) (Morali/Belolo/Hurtt/Whitehead) 6.53
07. Key West (Morali/Belolo/Willis/Whitehead) 5.47
08. In The Navy (Morali/Belolo/Willis) 3.46
09. Fire Island (Morali/Belolo/Hurtt/Whitehead) 5.20
10.Go West (12″ version) (Morali/Belolo/Willis) 6.37
11. Village People (Morali/Belolo/Hurtt/Whitehead) 5.11
12. Hot Cop (Morali/Belolo/Willis) 6.22
13. In The Navy (12″ version) (Morali/Belolo/Willis) 6.23
14 . Y.M.C.A. (12″ version) (Morali/Belolo/Willis) 6.47

 

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James Taylor – Greatest Hits (1976)

James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. 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. (wikipedia)

Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released in November 1976. To this day, it is the best-selling album of his career.

The album took place in the context of Taylor’s end of his recording contract with Warner Records. It features redone versions of “Carolina in My Mind” and “Something in the Way She Moves”, both of which had been previously included on Taylor’s self-titled debut album in 1968. It also includes a previously unavailable live version of “Steamroller”.[1]

The album did not rise higher than #23 on the Billboard albums chart on its original release. However it became a steady seller for many years, and Greatest Hits has sold over 11,000,000 copies certifying it as a Platinum album eleven times over, and a diamond album once (for 10 million copies).

In August 2012, the album re-entered the Billboard albums chart at #15, which gave the album a new peak.(wikipedia)

James Taylor had scored eight Top 40 hits by the fall of 1976 when Warner Brothers marked the end of his contract with this compilation. One of those hits, the Top Ten gold single “Mockingbird,” a duet with his wife Carly Simon, was on Elektra Records, part of the Warner family of labels and presumably available, but it was left off. “Long Ago and Far Away,” a lesser hit (though it made the Top Ten on the easy listening charts), wasn’t used either. In addition to the six hits — “Fire and Rain,” “Country Road,” “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),” and “Shower the People” — that were included, the album featured a couple of less successful singles, “Mexico” and “Walking Man,” the album track “Sweet Baby James,” and three previously unreleased recordings — a live version of “Steamroller” and newly recorded versions of “Something in the Way She Moves” and “Carolina in My Mind,” songs featured on Taylor’s 1968 debut album, recorded for Apple/Capitol.

The result was a reasonable collection for an artist who wasn’t particularly well-defined by his singles. One got little sense of Taylor’s evolution from the dour, confessional songs of his first two albums to the more conventional pop songs of his sixth and seventh ones. But one did hear isolated examples of Taylor’s undeniable warmth and facility for folk/country-tinged pop. By the next summer, Taylor was back in the Top Ten on Columbia, and Greatest Hits was out of date. But it remains a good sampler of Taylor’s more popular early work. (by William Ruhlmann)

Personnel:
Kenny Ascher (piano on 08.)
Byron Berline (fiddle on 02.)
Michael Brecker (saxophone on 07.)
David Crosby (background vocals on 10.)
Nick DeCaro (organ, vocals on 11.)
Craig Doerge (piano on 07.)
Dan Dugmore (pedal steel-guitar on 01. + 02.)
Victor Feldman (orchestra bells, vibraphone on 11.)
Andrew Gold (harmonium, background vocals on 02.)
Milt Holland (percussion on 10.)
Jim Keltner (drums on 09.)
Carole King (piano, background vocals on 03. – 05.)
Danny Kortchmar (guitar on 06, 07., 09.–10. + 12, percussion on 06.)
Russ Kunkel (drums on 02. – 07, 10. – 12., percussion on 06. – 10.)
Gayle Levant (harp on 10.)
John London (bass on 04.)
Rick Marotta (drums on 08.
Ralph MacDonald (percussion on 08.
Clarence McDonald (piano on 02., 09., 11. + 12. , organ, vocals on 12.)
Randy Meisner (bass on 05.)
Joni Mitchell (background vocals on 06.)
Andy Muson (bass on 08.)
Graham Nash (background vocals on 10.)
Herb Pedersen (background vocals on 01.)
Red Rhodes (pedal steel-guitar on 04.)
David Sanborn (saxophone on 09.)
Carly Simon (background vocals on 09. + 11.)
Leland Sklar (bass on 01., 02., 06., 07. 09. – 12.)
David Spinozza (guitar on 08.)
James Taylor (vocals, guitar)
Bobby West (bass on 03.

Tracklist:
01. Something In The Way She Moves (1976 version) (Taylor) 3.14
02. Carolina In My Mind (1976 version) (Taylor) 4.00
03. Fire And Rain (Taylor) 3.26
04. Sweet Baby James (Taylor) 2.54
05. Country Road (Taylor) 3.26
06. You’ve Got A Friend (King) 4.32
07. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (Taylor) 2.38
08. Walking Man (Taylor) 3.35
09. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (Holland/Dozier/Holland) 3.39
10. Mexico (Taylor) 3.01
11. Shower The People (Taylor) 4.01
12. Steamroller (live) (Taylor) 5.18

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Just yesterday mornin’, they let me know you were gone
Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can’t remember who to send it to

I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you again

Won’t you look down upon me, Jesus?
You’ve got to help me make a stand
You’ve just got to see me through another day
My body’s aching and my time is at hand
And I won’t make it any other way

Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you again

Been walking my mind to an easy time
My back turned towards the sun
Lord knows, when the cold wind blows
It’ll turn your head around
Well, there’s hours of time on the telephone line
To talk about things to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground
06
Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you, baby
One more time again, now
Thought I’d see you one more time again
There’s just a few things coming my way this time around, now
Thought I’d see you, thought I’d see you, fire and rain, now

The official website:

David Bowie – Changesbowie (1990)

David Robert Jones OAL (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, Bowie is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.

Bowie developed an interest in music as a child. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. “Space Oddity”, released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie’s single “Starman” and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie’s style shifted towards a sound he characterised as “plastic soul”, initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single “Fame” and the album Young Americans.

In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. In 1977, he further confounded expectations with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the “Berlin Trilogy”. “Heroes” (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise.

After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single “Ashes to Ashes”, its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and “Under Pressure” (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He reached his peak commercial success in 1983 with Let’s Dance: its title track topped both the UK and US charts. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting: his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with The Next Day. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016).

During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and released 11 number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone named him among the greatest artists in history and – after his death – the “greatest rock star ever”.

Changesbowie is a compilation album by English rock musician David Bowie, released by Rykodisc in the US and by EMI in the UK in 1990. The compilation was part of Rykodisc’s remastered Bowie reissue series, replacing the deleted RCA Records compilations Changesonebowie and Changestwobowie.

While the cover artwork was dismissed by author David Buckley as “a sixth-form cut ‘n’ paste collage”, the collection gave Bowie his first UK chart-topping album since Tonight in 1984. The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums noted that Changesbowie was “his seventh album to enter the chart at number one. Nobody else had debuted at the top as often.” (wikipedia)

Changesbowie is a CD greatest-hits collection that revamps the original Changesonebowie by adding selections from David Bowie’s late-’70s and early-’80s albums. Consequently, it functions as a definitive single-disc introduction to Bowie, featuring all of his major hits from “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Jean Genie,” and “Rebel Rebel” to “Heroes,” “Ashes to Ashes,” “Let’s Dance,” “Modern Love,” and “Blue Jean.” One complaint: It wasn’t necessary to substitute the “Fame ’90” remix for the original to hook completists, since it is inferior and was already issued as a separate single. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Personnel:
David Bowie with many, many studio musicians

Tracklist:
01. Space Oddity (Bowie) (“David Bowie”;1969) 5.16
02. John, I’m Only Dancing (Bowie) (non-album single; 1972) 2.49
03. Changes (Bowie) (“Hunky Dory”; 1971) 3.36
04. Ziggy Stardust (Bowie) (“The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars”, 1972) 3.13
05. Suffragette City (Bowie) (“The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars; 1972) 3.28
06. The Jean Genie (“Aladdin Sane”; 1973) 4.09
07. Diamond Dogs (Bowie) (“Diamond Dogs”; 1974) 6.06
08. Rebel Rebel (Bowie) (“Diamond Dogs”; 1974) 4.31
09. Young Americans (Bowie) (” Young Americans”;1975) 5.13
10. Fame ’90 (Gass mix) (Bowie/Alomar/Lennon) (Fame ’90 CD single; 1990) 3.41
11. Golden Years (Bowie) (“Station To Station”; 1976) 4.01
12. Heroes (Bowie/Eno) (single version; 1977) 3.38
13. Ashes To Ashes (Bowie) (“Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)”; 1980) 4.25
14. Fashion (Bowie) (“Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)”; 1980) 4.49
15. Let’s Dance (single version; 1983) 4.10
16. China Girl (Bowie/Pop) (single version; 1977) 4.17
17. Modern Love (Bowie) (single version; 1983) 3.59
18. Blue Jean (Bowie) (“Tonight”; 1984) 3.11

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More from David Bowie:

Bob Marley & The Wailers – Legend (1984)

Bob Marley and the Wailers (also known as The Wailing Wailers, Bob Marley & the Wailers, and The Wailers) were a Jamaican reggae band led by Bob Marley. It developed from the ska vocal group, The Teenagers, created by Peter Tosh, Marley, and Bunny Wailer in 1963. By late 1963 singers Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith had joined on. By the early 1970s, Marley and Bunny Wailer had learned to play some instruments, and brothers Aston “Family Man” Barrett (bass) and Carlton Barrett (drums), had joined the band. After Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh left the band in 1974, Marley began touring with new band members as Bob Marley and the Wailers. His new backing band included the Barrett brothers, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl “Wya” Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin “Seeco” Patterson on percussion. The “I Threes”, consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley’s wife, Rita, provided backing vocals.

Legend is a compilation album by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released in May 1984 by Island Records. It is a greatest hits collection of singles in its original vinyl format and is the best-selling reggae album of all-time, with over 12 million sold in the US, over 3.3 million in the UK (where it is the seventeenth best-selling album[1]) and an estimated 25 million copies sold globally. In 2003, the album was ranked number 46 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, maintaining the ranking in a 2012 revised list,[5] but dropping to number 48 in the 2020 revised list.

As of 14 December 2021, Legend has spent a total of 708 nonconsecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart—the second longest run in history. Also, as of 14 December 2021, it has spent 1,007 weeks in the top 100 of the UK Albums Chart—the third longest run in the chart’s history.

The album contains all ten of Bob Marley’s Top 40 hit singles in the UK up to the time,[10] plus three songs from the original Wailers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston in “Stir It Up,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” and “Get Up, Stand Up,” along with the closing song from the album Uprising, “Redemption Song.” Of the original tracks, only four date from prior to the Exodus album.[citation needed]

The cassette tape release of the album featured two extra songs, “Punky Reggae Party,” the B-side to the “Jamming” single, and “Easy Skanking” from the Kaya album. A second generation compact disc remastered by Barry Diament appeared in 1990 on the Tuff Gong label. Although the disc includes the same 14 songs, the tracks are in their original album lengths rather than the edited versions for single release.

On 12 February 2002, the expanded 14-track edition with songs at album lengths were remastered for compact disc with a bonus disc consisting of 1984-vintage remixes for extended dance club singles and dub versions. In 2004, the Legend double-disc deluxe edition was reissued with the music DVD of the same name in the sound + vision deluxe edition. In 2010, Legend was made available as downloadable content for Rock Band. However, it was released without “Get Up, Stand Up”, which was later included on Rock Band 3. In June 2012, a high fidelity audiophile version of the album was released on HDtracks in 96 kHz/24bit and 192 kHz/24bit resolutions.

Legend has peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200, making it Marley’s highest-charting album in the US. It also holds the distinction of being the second longest-charting album in the history of Billboard magazine. Combining its chart life on the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Catalog Albums charts, Legend has had a chart run of 2165 nonconsecutive weeks, surpassed only by Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon at 2166 nonconsecutive weeks. As of the Billboard issue dated 18 December 2021, the album has charted on the Billboard 200 for 708 nonconsecutive weeks. As of December 2017, Legend has sold 12.3 million copies in the US since 1991 when SoundScan started tracking album sales, making it the ninth best-selling album of the Nielsen SoundScan era. The RIAA has certified Legend for selling 15 million copies, a total that includes purchases before 1991.

In the United Kingdom, Legend has been certified 13× Platinum, and is the 16th best-selling album in that country of all time,with sales of over 3,380,000 as of July 2016.

As of April 2012, the album has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

Despite its generally positive reception, Legend has been criticized for being a deliberately inoffensive selection of Marley’s less political music, shorn of any radicalism that might damage sales. In 2014 in the Phoenix New Times, David Accomazzo wrote “Dave Robinson, who constructed the tracklist for Legend, [said that] the tracklist for Legend deliberately was designed to appeal to white audiences. Island Records had viewed Marley as a political revolutionary, and Robinson saw this perspective as damaging to Marley’s bottom line. So he constructed a greatest-hits album that showed just one face of the Marley prism, the side he deemed most sellable to the suburbs. […] If you’re looking for mass-market appeal to secular-progressive America, you don’t include songs that invoke collective guilt over the slave trade, nor do you address the inconvenient truth that the bucolic Jamaican lifestyle of reggae, sandy beaches, and marijuana embraced by millions of college freshmen, exists only because of the brutal slave trade. […] the songs on Legend offer just a brief glimpse into his music. The definitive album of the most important reggae singer of all time is a hodgepodge collection of love songs, feel-good sentiment, and mere hints of the fiery activist whose politics drew bullets in the ’70s.” Vivien Goldman wrote in 2015, “when he does get played on the radio now, it’s the mellow songs, not the angry songs, that get heard – the ones that have been compiled on albums such as Legend. (wikipedia)

Personnel:
Al Anderson (guitar)
Aston “Family Man” Barrett (bass, percussion)
Carlton Barrett (drums)
Tyrone Downie (keyboards, percussion, background vocals)
Bernard “Touter” Harvey (keyboards)
Donald Kinsey (guitar)
Earl “Wire” Lindo (keyboards)
Bob Marley (guitar, vocals, percussion)
Junior Marvin (guitar)
Earl “Chinna” Smith (guitar, percussion)
Peter Tosh (guitar, vocals, keyboards)
Bunny Wailer (percussion, vocals)
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percussion:
Alvin “Seeco” Patterson – Carlton Barrett – Earl “Wire” Lindo – Joe Higgs
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background vocals:
Earl “Wire” Lindo – Judy Mowatt – Junior Marvin – Marcia Griffiths – Rita Marley

Tracklist:
01. Is This Love (Marley) (Kaya;1978) 3.52
02. No Woman, No Cry (Marley/Ford) (Live!; 1975) 7.07
03. Could You Be Loved (Marley) (Uprising;1980) 3.55
04. Three Little Birds (Marley) (Exodus;1977) 3.00
05. Buffalo Soldier (7″ Edit) (Marley/Williams) (Confrontation;1983) 4.17
06. Get Up, Stand Up (Marley/Tosh) (Burnin’;1973) 3.17
07. Stir It Up (Edit) (Marley) (Catch A Fire; 1973) 5.33
08. One Love/People Get Ready (Marley/Mayfield) (Exodus;1977) 2.51
09. I Shot The Sheriff (Edit) (Marley) (Burnin’; 1973) 4.43
10. Waiting In Vain (Marley) (Exodus;1977) 4.15
11. Redemption Song (Marley) (Uprising;1980) 3.49
12. Satisfy My Soul (Marley) (Kaya;1978) 4.31
13. Exodus  (Marley) (Exodus;1977) 7.35
14. Jamming (7″ Edit) (Marley) (Exodus;1977) 3.31

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More from Bob Marley:

Deke Leonard – Freedom And Chains (2005)

Deke Leonard is a Welsh musician serving a life sentence in the music business. After several unsuccessful escape attempts he is now resigned to his fate.

During the sixties, Deke served his apprenticeship in several successful rock’n’roll bands on the Welsh gig circuit, including the CORNCRACKERS, the JETS, the BLACKJACKS and the DREAM, who headlined the national press in 1967 with the headline ‘The Biggest Freak-Out To Hit South Wales’. There were occasional adventures abroad in the footsteps of The Beatles, notably residencies in the Top Ten Club in Hamburg – where bands cut the mustard playing up to 7 or 8 hours a day – and a tours of US Army bases in Europe.

In 1968 Deke joined Pye recording artists, THE BYSTANDERS, whose single releases included 98.6 and When Jesamine Goes. But the times were changing and the BYSTANDERS were changing with them. They changed the name of the band to MAN and renegotiated their deal with Pye Records from a singles deal to an album deal, and started seriously writing their own material. Deke, a compulsive songwriter, thought he’d gone to heaven. They released two albums on Pye, REVELATION and 2OZS OF PLASTIC (WITH A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE). They signed a new management deal with Marshall Arts and were soon touring Europe, so much so that they based themselves in Germany for a year.

At the start of the seventies, Marshall Arts negotiated a new record deal with United Artists and MAN entered a golden period. They made seven studio albums with UA, four of which charted, and two live albums, LIVE AT THE PADGETT ROOMS and XMAS AT THE PATTI featuring Dave Edmunds. Both topped the budget album charts and are now regarded as collectors items. Each album was promoted with British and European tours, and they found themselves working 364 days a year (Marshall Arts allowed them Christmas Day off).

After the second UA album Deke left the band and was immediately offered a solo deal with UA and went on to make two albums, ICEBERG and KAMIKAZE. Deke formed a band called ICEBERG and set off to promote them with British and European tours, and live radio performances on the John Peel session shows. During his absence MAN had recorded two albums, BE GOOD TO YOURSELF and BACK INTO THE FUTURE, both of which charted. Things were going well. But when things were going well, the MANBAND (a name by which they have become definitely known) usually broke up and they duly followed this pattern. Deke, abandoning his solo career, rejoined a reconstituted MANBAND giving Marshall Arts, who had continued to represent Deke, a collective nervous breakdown.

The next album, RHINOS, WINOS & LUNATICS went to number 12 in the British Album charts, and the band went off to the USA, doing three long tours, the first supporting HAWKWIND on the ‘Space 1999 Tour’, and headlining the next two. During the second tour they met one of their heroes, John Cippolina from QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE and invited him to join the band for a British tour. He agreed and the resulting live album, MAXIMUM DARKNESS also charted. After his departure, the band broke up, reformed, signed a new record deal with MCA and recorded THE WELSH CONNECTION. As soon as it was released the band went out on tour in America and Europe to promote it.

But during this tour, cracks began to appear and Man headed for a final break up. They finally broke up during a Scandinavian Tour that followed the last American adventure. They did a farewell tour of Britain which resulted in the album, ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL and a HTV documentary LIVE AT THE ROUNDHOUSE – now released on CD and DVD.
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After the break-up, Deke stayed with United Artists and made BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES, a solo album produced by Martin Rushent, whose clients included the BUZZCOCKS and the HUMAN LEAGUE. Then corporate shenanigans intervened. EMI bought United Artists and the new regime delayed the album release. It was finally released five years later.

In the meantime, Deke formed THE FORCE with former DUCKS DELUXE frontman Sean Tyler and they released an album called, imaginatively, THE FORCE. Extensive touring followed during which Sean Tyler had a nervous breakdown and THE FORCE mutated into ICEBERG. Then, in 1983, Deke’s agent informed him of an offer he’d received for a European tour for MAN.

Would they be interested? Yes, they were. The new tour was booked and the next incarnation of MAN hit the road. The new line-up included MAN originals, Micky Jones and Martin Ace along with Deke, but did not include long-time drummer Terry Williams who had joined DIRE STRAITS. His replacement was ex-GENTLE GIANT drummer, John `Pugwash’ Weathers.

For the next twenty years the band toured extensively and continued to produce albums including THE TWANG DYNASTY, CALL DOWN THE MOON, and ENDANGERED SPECIES and most of the back-catalogue has now been re-released by Point Records. Further to a number of official bootleg albums are now on the shelves, several new compilation albums have been produced (including live concert material) by various companies including Sanctuary Records. DVDs include MAN LIVE and MAN AT THE ROUNDHOUSE and a live appearance on the latest rock compilation DVD THE LEGENDS OF ROCK.
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Throughout the 1980s Deke also became a journalist contributing regular articles and reviews for, amongst others, VOX MAGAZINE, NEW HI-FI SOUND and STUDIO WEEK. For the past 10 years Deke has written a regular monthly column ‘Deke Speaks’ for the fanzine THE WELSH CONNECTION compiled and edited by his publisher, Michael Heatley (author of the Dec.2004 publication JOHN PEEL A LIFE IN MUSIC).

During the 1990s, Deke wrote two critically-acclaimed autobiographical books, RHINOS, WINOS, & LUNATICS (The legend of the MAN a Rock’n’Roll band) and MAYBE I SHOULD’VE STAYED IN BED? (The Flip Side Of The Rock’n’Roll Dream) both published by Michael Heatley of Northdown Publishing, author of the December 2004 publication JOHN PEEL, A LIFE IN MUSIC. Deke’s books reveal the quirky side of the rock’n’roll dream and provide a sideways glance at the social history of the last forty years. THE TIMES called them `hilarious and unputdownable’; TIME OUT (London) called them ‘the quintessential rock’n’roll memoirs that’ll have you laughing out loud’; CLASSIC ROCK remarked ‘This is a genuinely hilarious feast. Forget Spinal Tap. This is the real deal’ and MOJO observed ‘Leonard writes up a storm. You will find these books irresistable’.

In 2003 The Fiction Factory, a film company, acquired the film rights to both books and a film is now in pre-production.

Occasional TV appearances include from the past THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST and BBC coverage of festivals such as READING and GLASTONBURY and a host of European shows. Deke has more recently appeared as a panellist on HTV’s PUB ROCK QUIZ and guest commentator on BBC 1’s JUKE BOX HEROES and BBC1’s WALES IN OUT TIME with JOHN HUMPHRYS.

Past radio shows include five live JOHN PEEL SESSIONS and Deke is now a regular on BBC Radio Wales, most recently presenting a programme of rock’n’roll anecdotes called TALES OF THE ROAD; as a guest narrator on DRAGONS BREATH (a history of welsh rock music) and assuming the mantle of team captain on the musican quiz series ROCK OF AGES with guest panellists Trevor Burton of THE MOVE; Reg Presley from THE TROGGS and Mike D’Abo.

Recently, Steve Elsdon, a promoter and friend, suggested he try a one-man show, telling rock’n’roll stories and singing songs. The first show was at the new DYLAN THOMAS CENTRE THEATRE in Swansea. It was a great success and Deke loved every minute of it. Other shows have followed in London and nationally. Deke now sees himself as a cross between Bo Diddley and Peter Ustinov. A tour of one-man shows is now planned and this biography is intended to whet your appetite in the hope that you will be encouraged to participate.

In 2004, Deke left the band to follow his own star. The split was amicable but Deke thinks the band were secretly glad to get rid of him. “Well,” he says, “given half a chance I’d get rid of me.”

Deke Leonard’s one-man shows are an hilarious journey, illustrated with songs, around the flip side of the rock’n’roll dream. It is designed to appeal to both those familiar with Deke’s career, and newcomers alike. As RECORD BUYER remarked “It is social history, rock’n’roll and essential’.

During 2004 Deke also went back into the studio to record his first solo album for a quarter of a century entitled FREEDOM AND CHAINS, a compilation of new songs recently released on 17th January, 2005 by Angel Air Records. Also, soon to be released by Hux Records is Deke Leonard WIRELESS – a collection of live radio shows recorded during the 70s including John Peel session. (official biography)

Deke Leonard is singer & lead guitarist with Man, Wales’ psychedelic music wizards founded in 1968 & still going strong. He has also fronted his own hard rock band & made three solo albums – ‘Iceberg’, ‘Kamikaze’, & ‘Before Your Very Eyes’. This is a 21 track collection of songs from the 70s & 80s only seven of which exist in officially released form & are featured here in alternate form. The rest are studio recorded demos & songs that for various reasons never got out. (Promo text)

I first saw Deke Leonard way back in 1976 when he was playing with the Man band at Edinburgh University round about 1976 and it turned out to be one of the best live concerts I had ever been at ! I went on to buy Deke’s “Iceberg” albums Iceberg and Kamekaze over the next few years and very much enjoyed the songs. I drifted out of music, essentially for the next 35 years but started to replace many of my 70’s vinyls with CD’s round about 2012. In February 2017, I Iearned of the passing away of Deke and felt quite sad about it, this kick started my re-newed interest in his music and I recently purchased Freedom and Chains. It amazes me why Deke Leonard didn’t rise to the great heights of fame and fortune, but unless you grew up in the 60’s and 70’s you might not appreciate his contribution to the music industry. This album has some very clever lyrics and you can’t help but smile all the way through Guantanamo Bay(track 04). Hope that’s how you spell it !!! So black !!. Palestine has an amazing lead guitar throughout the song again with a superb chorus. The theme of the album is just as the title suggests and the songs pretty much stick to the general theme. If you liked the Man band, this is actually quite different but in all the best ways, it will not disappoint. Take a risk and listen (Bruce Craig)

This album portrays a master performing his art. ENJOY

Personnel:
Deke Leonard (guitar, vocals)
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Martin Ace – Simon Parsons – Keith Hodge – Gareth Llewelyn – Silve Thorrington – Bob Richards and many more

Tracklist:
01. The Thrill Of Revolution 6.07
02. I Don’t Love You Anymore 2.56
03. Cuba 5.18
04. Guantanamo Bay 3:17
05. Blues 4:01
06. Tahitian Thunder 4:21
07 Palestine 3:58
08. Just Another Woman 4:27
09. Queen Of My Heart 2:53
10. Something In My Heart Says No 2:02
11. Tomorrow’s Gonna Come 3:26
12. Empty Places 4:17
13. The Same Mistake 4:03
14. Is This What Love Is? 5:22
15. Trapped (In The Jaws Of Love) 4:00
16. Blues 2 (The Meek Mix) 4:18

All songs written by Deke Leonhard
except 06., written by Deke Leonhard & Sean Tyla

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Roger Arnold “Deke” Leonard (18 December 1944 – 31 January 2017)

Supertramp – The Very Best Of Supertramp (1990)

Supertramp were an English rock band formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, guitar) and Rick Davies (vocals, keyboards), they are distinguished for blending progressive rock and pop styles and for their use of Wurlitzer electric piano and saxophone.[5][6] The group’s line-up changed numerous times throughout their career, with Davies the only consistent member. Other longtime members included bassist Dougie Thomson, drummer Bob Siebenberg, and saxophonist John Helliwell.

The band were initially a full-fledged prog-rock group, but starting with their third album Crime of the Century (1974), they maintained a more pop-oriented sound.[5] They reached their commercial peak with 1979’s Breakfast in America, which yielded the international top 10 singles “The Logical Song”, “Breakfast in America”, “Goodbye Stranger” and “Take the Long Way Home”. Their other top 40 hits included “Dreamer” (1974), “Give a Little Bit” (1977) and “It’s Raining Again” (1982).

As of 2007, Supertramp album sales exceeded 60 million. They attained significant popularity in North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia. Their highest sales levels were in Canada, where they had two diamond-certified (ten-times platinum) albums (Crime of the Century and Breakfast in America). In 1983, Hodgson left the group to pursue a solo career. Davies took over as the band’s sole leader until 1988, after which they disbanded and later reformed in various configurations.

The Very Best of Supertramp is a best of album by the English rock band Supertramp, originally released by A&M Records in June 1990.

The compilation features 15 studio recordings from 1974’s Crime of the Century to 1985’s Brother Where You Bound. The cover depicts the grate from the cover of Crime of the Century, the hand carrying the glass from the cover of Breakfast in America and the orange umbrella from Crisis? What Crisis? (by wikipedia)

Originally a European compilation, The Very Best of Supertramp is the closest thing to a definitive overview of the ’70s pop-prog group. Certainly, there will be hardcore fans who will notice some favorite album cuts missing — after all, despite their considerable success on the pop charts, Supertramp was as much an album rock band as ELP or Genesis — but all the hits are here, from “Bloody Well Right” to “It’s Raining Again,” as well as a sizable portion of their blockbuster Breakfast in America. That alone will make it worthwhile for all casual fans, but what’s really nice about the collection is that it flows very smoothly, even if it isn’t in chronological order. There have been other Supertramp compilations, but The Very Best of Supertramp stands head and shoulders above the rest. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Personnel:
Rick Davies (vocals, keyboards, harmonica, melodica)
John Anthony Helliwell (saxophones, clarinet, vocals)
Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, guitar)
Bob Siebenberg (drums, percussion)
Dougie Thomson (bass)
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Jake Beddoe (saw on 11.)
Slyde Hyde (trombone, tuba on 05.)
Ken Scott (water gong on 08.)
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background vocals on 11.:
Christine Helliwell – Vicky Siebenberg – Scott Gorham

Tracklist:
01. School 5,35
02. Goodbye Stranger 5.48
03. The Logical Song
04. Bloody Well Right 4.33
05. Breakfast In America 2.41
06. Rudy 7.17
07. Take The Long Way Home 5.04
08. Crime Of The Century 5.31
09. Dreamer 3.31
10. Ain’t Nobody But Me 5.07
11. Hide In Your Shell 6.48
12. From Now On 6.17
13. Give A Little Bit 4.08
14. It’s Raining Again 4.23

All songs written by Rick Davies &Roger Hodgson

Tracks 1, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11 from Crime of the Century (1974)

Track 10 from Crisis? What Crisis? (1975)

Tracks 12 and 13 from Even in the Quietest Moments… (1977)

Tracks 2, 3, 5 and 7 from Breakfast in America (1979)

Track 14 from …Famous Last Words… (1982)

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Mott The Hoople – Two Miles From Heaven (1980)

Mott the Hoople are an English rock band, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid-1970s. They are best known for the song “All the Young Dudes”, written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.

Two Miles From Heaven is a compilation album of tracks recorded by British rock band Mott the Hoople during their period with Island Records from 1969 to 1972. It features the original band line-up of Ian Hunter (vocals, piano, guitar), Mick Ralphs (guitar, vocals), Peter Watts (bass guitar, vocals), Dale Griffin (drums) and Verden Allen (organ). Incomplete tracks from original sessions were supplemented by overdubs of vocals, keyboards (by later Mott the Hoople and Mott member Morgan Fisher) and guitar (including contributions from Mott guitarist Ray Majors).

Of significance to followers of the group were the inclusion of alternative versions of extant Mott the Hoople songs (a vocal version of “You Really Got Me”, the discarded mix of “Thunderbuck Ram” and early demo tapes of songs that were later recorded for their All the Young Dudes album once the band had left Island and signed to Columbia Records: “One of the Boys”, “Ride on the Sun” (better known as “Sea Diver”) and “Black Scorpio” (Momma’s Little Jewel). “Until I’m Gone” was an otherwise unreleased Ralphs track.

The initial vinyl release was on Island’s German label (202 429-270), in 1980, but it has subsequently been re-released on Angel Air SJPCD 161 in 2003 with additional bonus tracks. (by wikipedia)

After British Lions broke up, Dale Griffin, Overend Watts, Ray Majors and Morgan Fisher went in the studios to put together this compilation of rare and unreleased Mott The Hoople material from Island’s vaults. Mott recorded virtually everything they wrote, and just about any day not spent gigging was spent in the studio. As a result, there is a lot of unreleased (and unfinished) material in there.

What an absolute peach this collection is. Unreleased tracks, rare b-sides and early versions of songs that would be recorded later on… this album has long been sought after by fans, and is now at long last available on CD.

It starts with a rare vocal version of the Kinks’ You Really Got Me. Next up is Ian’s first stab at social commentary, Road To Birmingham which was the b-side to Rock And Roll Queen, Mott’s first single. Then there’s the alternate version of Thunderbuck Ram, with Verden’s organ featuring much higher in the mix. The studio version of Keep a Knockin’ is fast and furious, and an absolute belter.

Movin’ On is next – slated for the original vinyl but withdrawn at the last minute is a medium-paced rocker that Mick Ralphs would eventually re-record with Bad Company. Ride On The Sun is beautiful – this again would be re-recorded (as Sea Diver) later on – and is possibly one of Ian’s best ballads. Growin’ Man Blues is another fast rocker which I never grow tired of hearing. Till I’m Gone is another ballad, beautifully sung by Mick Ralphs (for a version of him sharing the vocals with Ian, check out the Anthology). One Of The Boys is an acoustic version of the song that would be re-recorded later on. Black Scorpio (Momma’s Little Jewel) is faster than the version that would be recorded for the Dudes album.

Two more bonus tracks close the album, The Debt (which was the b-side to Midnight Lady) and the non-LP single Downtown, with Mick Ralphs again supplying the vocals for this Neil Young/Crazy Horse cover.

Sound quality throughout is excellent (a lot better than the original LP). Strangely, tho’ the running order on the “Bald At The Station” side is different from the original LP. No matter – this is an important album in Mott’s history, and I for one am glad it’s finally available on CD! (hunter-mott.com)

An even more overlooked album from an already overlooked band, this was released at the beginning of the 80’s without too much fanfare. Having heard the album I have no idea why; this is so much more than just a collection of B-Sides and out-takes. 75% of this album is made up of songs that could have been on albums in their present state. I hardly know where to begin; “The Road to Birmingham” for example is a song that should have been on “Brain Capers” or “Wildlife” and the re-mix of “Thunderbuck Ram” actually outshines the original and it’s interesting to hear the pre-Bad Company version of “Movin’ On” and a few of the covers thrown in as well. This was such an interesting band and this is a real gem of a collection that would do YOUR collection well. (by Jacob Koehler)

Personnel:
Verden Allen (organ, background vocals)
Dale “Buffin” Griffin (drums, background vocals)
Ian Hunter (vocals, piano, guitar)
Mick Ralphs (guitar, background vocals)
Pete “Overend” Watts (bass, background vocals)
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Guy Stevens (piano, percussion)

Tracklist:
01. You Really Got Me (Davies) 3.08
02. The Road To Birmingham (Hunter) 3.30
03. Thunderbuck Ram (Ralphs) 4.41
04. Going Home (Ralphs) 3.00
05. Little Christine (Ralphs) 3.06
06. Keep A Knockin'” (Richard Penniman) 3.25
07. Black Hills (Ralphs) 1.32
08. Movin’ On (Ralphs) 2.44
09. Ride On The Sun (Hunter) 3.38
10. Growin’ Man Blues (Hunter) 2.46
11. Until I’m Gone (Ralphs) 3.14
12. One Of The Boys (Ralphs, Hunter) 4.19
13. Surfin’ U.K. (Ralphs) 2.37
14. Black Scorpio (Hunter/Watts) 3.36
15. I´ll Wind Blowing (Hunter) 3.53
16. The Debt (Hunter) 4.15
17. Downtown (Whitten/Young) 3.03

Dale Griffin tried hard during the production process to improve on the original recordings. All material was transferred from the original 8- and 16-track tapes to 24-track tape. All were remixed, and many were overdubbed, as follows:

The Road to Birmingham: extra acoustic and electric guitars were added by Overend Watts, together with a few minor edits
Thunderbuck Ram: some keyboard fills were added by Morgan Fisher
Going Home: Overend Watts and Dale Griffin added backing vocals
Keep a Knockin’: Morgan Fisher added piano
Black Hills: Morgan Fisher added piano and mellotron
Ride On The Sun: Morgan Fisher added Hammond organ and mellotron
Growin’ Man Blues: in reality only a minute and a half long, they had to do two dub edits and some covering vocals and instrumental fills
Till I’m Gone: Overend Watts added acoustic guitar
One Of The Boys: Overend Watts added guitar; Dale griffin and Overend added backing vocals
Surfin’ UK: Dale Griffin added backing vocals and percussion
Black Scorpio: Ray Majors added slide guitar, Dale Griffin added backing vocals and percussion
Ill Wind Blowing: Dale Griffin added backing vocals and percussion ((hunter-mott.com))

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