5 comments about The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle.

1. Born to Run brought Springsteen to America's attention and earned him the Time and Newsweek covers. However, the real break out was this cd some two years earlier. It has always been my favourite and remains so today. Musically it is all over the map. There is no escaping Dylan's influence - but it is Dylan with R & B, jazz and Latino flavorings and with a New Jersey accent. Any fan who started his Bruce experience with either of the Borns would be surprised, to say the least, by the accordion on Asbury Park (Sandy), the soulful Butterfield Blues Band opening of Kitty's Back followed by the jazzy Van Morrisonesque vocals and the Jimmy Smith organ stylings of David L. Sancious. Although the record is musically extremely diverse the lyrics provide the consistency required to make this a great piece of music. To me The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle plays like a collection of autobiographical stories relating to Springsteen's Jersey life all those years ago. Moreover, it sounds like Bruce and the boys just got together one night and laid down these tracks. Now, the sound quality is admittedly less than ideal. I don't care. I first listened to the vinyl on an old, cheap stereo with a couple of pathetically small and inefficient speakers. Although this recording may be far from audiophile quality it certainly sounds better to me than it did as an LP, an 8-track or a cassette!
   
   There isn't a weak track on this cd. As I listen to each song I think to myself "man this is a great tune - the best one" and then the next song begins and I think "wow, this is a really great song". The bottom line is that this is a terrific cd. All Springsteen fans, even the casual ones, should have it.



2. Having had the privilege of living in the Eatontown-Long Branch-Red Bank area in 1972, I really feel the verisimilitude and depth of feeling Springsteen and his E Street Band brought to every note and word of this album. Sandy, Rosalita, Kitty's Back, are, simply put, really hard rock songs played through a doo-wop, east coast, r&b type sensibility, which really fits with the preoccupations of a big city-resort area in the summertime. If "Greetings..." was Bruce's way of saying hello to his audience, this album was the true introduction. Anyone who ever strolled the boardwalk with a young, wild, yearning heart knows what this music is about, its greatness, its power.
   
   Bruce's almost photographic sensibilities render a true, gritty, romantic, and brilliantly alive masterpiece from the neon, the salt-water taffy, and the hustles. And "Wild Billy's Circus Story" is simply a classic of the carny life, right up there with "Freaks" and "Nightmare Alley".
   
   But this music is more than that, I realize. The Band's playing and Springsteen's writing are at a level here that beggars description--buy it. Listen. It's a GREAT album.



3. It's a shame that this album has never been remastered to bring the sound quality up to what it could and should be. The music itself rates 5-stars, but because the album was never remastered, the quality of the sound rates 2-stars. To me, it is amazing that an artist of Springsteen's stature and accomplishment has allowed this inferior product to remain in its current condition. I keep waiting for it to be upgraded so I can buy it and hear it as it deserves to be heard.



4. This album got me through graduate school at Rutgers in the early 70's. Ripe with rhythm, textures, and the Boss's clever way with words, I identified with the energy and the beauty ascribed to local beach life as well as the romantic portrayals of diverse East Coast urban settings. I love this record and struggle with whether it is, in fact, his best. I love the rough, underproduced quality of this album, unlike what we were to see two years later with the slickly produced & packaged Born to Run (which despite the glitz is an excellent piece of music as well). Incident on 57th Street and Rosalita, not to mention Sandy, are etched in my limbic system. This cd still gets plenty of play in my car, especially on those early spring nights with the sun roof down.



5. The best CD from Bruce - EVER.
   
   It's a stunning mix of Rock, Folk, Latino, Classical, R and B, Blues and Jazz. You need to be willing to shift gears as you listen to this one. Not for those who like a steady groove for an entire album. The material is varied, the musicianship is superlative and the production's great. The last album with drummer Vincent Lopez and the band suffers for it.
   
   From punchy rock to slow musical poetry and all points in between. Truly a collaborative effort from all the musicians. Poignant, gentle, passionate,fierce and featuring stunning tempo shifts and arrangements. The poetry paints pictures of characters and stories that transcend their Jersey origins and speak to us all about youthful tragedy, love and the longing to be free.
   
   I've been listening to this for over 30 years and never get tired of it. An intersection of genius, passion and musicianship that is so much more than the sum total of it's parts.

5 comments about Full Moon Fever.

1. After more than a decade of working with The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty took a breather and decided to fly solo. Well, sort of. "Full Moon Fever" is a Tom Petty album in name, but features songs co-written by Mike Campbell (who co-produced), and features Campbell, Howie Epstein and Benmont Tench on assorted songs.
   
   What set this apart from the Heartbreakers' work was the impressive guest list. ELO's Jeff Lynne produced, Roy Orbison and George Harrison - three of the Traveling Wilburys - sang (and Del Shannon contributes 'barnyard noises'), along with a crack group of session cats. Lynne's fascination with roots rock hybrids (Dave Edmund's Information and some of his ELO songs) meshed perfectly with Petty's new direction, and Petty brought his strongest album's worth of songs since Damn the Torpedoes.
   
   The result was an album that was consistent all the way through, with Petty sounding loose and relaxed. There's his terrific anthem "I Won't Back Down," the rocking "Running Down a Dream" and the powerful tribute to Los Angeles, "Free Fallin'," some of the best singles he's ever done. Finally, there's a serious affirmation of his influences with the Byrds' "Feel a Whole Lot Better" marking Petty's first cover.
   
   The non-hits here carry "Full Moon Fever" to the top of the ratings. The single-acoustic guitar of "Alright For Now" was one of the simplest pieces Petty ever committed to tape and one of the most beautiful. "Zombie Zoo" is a lighthearted laugh of a rocker, and "Yer So Bad" has a great sense of humor in it. There really isn't a bad song in the bunch, with the weakest ("Apartment Song") still better than some of his other album tracks. It's a classic album from an artist that already had two five-star albums under his relatively young belt.



2. Of all the songs Tom petty has ever wrote, the song-"A MIND WITH A HEART OF IT's OWN", maybe the most AWSOME music i have heard him play. "BUT" This has the most terrible (STUPID) lyrics, I have ever heard -----and just shoot-downs the song. WHY? If you are ever going to change one song in your career TOM, keep the CHORUS line the same, and please rewrite the lyrics. This music to this song, and chorus line are awsome. Write, something like "my girl friend left me for a lawyer.....a mind with a heart of it's own......or I got into a fight with a boss....A mind with a heart of it's own.......My dog never barks....a mind with a heart of it's own......etc. Honestly the lyrics, in the song make everyone nut's------but----they love the song (music). It would be great to save this good song and rewrite the lyrics and put it on a REMASTER OF THIS ALBUM. HECK ! it would be another hit.SERIOUSLY, I aint the only one that agrees. This is the only mess-up ,in your collection.



3. A pretty strong album from Tom Petty, Full Moon Fever offers up a great mix of harder, driving rockers and slower, more laid back numbers. The result is an album that never leaves a listener bored for lack of variety.



4. Having listened to Tom Petty on the radio for many years, I could never break down and buy one of his CD's
   This is the CD that changed all of this. Tom along with Jeff Lynne and former Beatle and fellow Willbury George Harrison contribute to this effort, and it makes it just that much sweeter. It's fun seeing Harrison and Lynn on the video as well.
   This CD is pretty much a best of package in itself.
   This CD contains, I won't back down, Runnin' down a dream, Freefallin' Love is a long road and several others.
   Once I listened to this CD for a few months, I was able to buy much of his catalog with the Heartbreakers.
   Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and are truely one of the great Rock and Roll bands ever.
   I would recommend this CD to anyone who loves Rock and Roll.........A true classic.................



5. One of Tom Petty's better efforts. "I Won't Back Down," "Running Down a Dream," and, of course, "Freefallin'" are superb pop songs. Beautifully written and beautifully sung, with ringing harmonies and jangling guitars. Buy it.

5 comments about Band Of Gypsys.

1. This is one of the most important rock/soulful CD's you can have in your collection. It's like a beautiful and intense painting that you have to engage with. A rock mantra. For all guitar players to enjoy.



2. Growing up, I loved Jimi Hendrix's Experience. I had never tried his Band of Gypsies vinyl back in the day. I bought this on sale to add to the Hendrix collection and I'm not sure if it will stay. This album is the first after his breakup with them and it's a live recording from 1969.
   
   Some say it's the beginning of the end, I cannot say that. It's good, solid blues, but I prefer hearing Hendrix rocking.
   
   This is a six song collection, that is almost 46 minutes long. You get a lot of live jamming on this CD, which is mostly worth hearing. Vocals on "Who Knows" just annoy me; however, "Machine Gun" is excellent--good strong playing and one of my favorites of all his work.
   
   I don't regret hearing this CD, but I think I'd rather remember Jimi rocking with the Experience than bluesing with the Gypsies.
   
   Rebecca Kyle, May 2008



3. I yield to no man when it comes to admiring Jimi Hendrix - indeed, watching and listening to him perform in a tiny club, way back in '67, was one of the highlights of my life. It was transformational. That said, let's be honest about Band of Gypsies - it's a mess. Of course, the failures of Hendrix transcend the triumphs of mortals, but still.
   
   Hendrix freely admitted that he was no great singer, and his limitations have never been more evident. Even Buddy Miles, who was better, sounds awful. Perhaps the live concert environment meant they couldn't hear themselves. Indeed, this album would have been much better had there been no vocals at all. The jams, naturally, smoke like a southbound train, Hendrix is in great form. But play the CD again and imagine how much better it would sound purely instrumental.
   
   Swapping out Mitch Mitchell for Buddy Miles was like trading in a Rolls Royce for a Yugo, Miles is particularly unexceptional here. The bass contribution by Billy Cox could have been handled just as well by a table lamp. Most egregious of all is the material itself. From a song-writing point of view there is little to cheer, particularly when it comes to lyrics. This would be more palatable if the singing were expert; unfortunately, the awkward vocals Hendrix delivers draw attention to the inadequacies of the lyrics.
   
   Of course it's worth owning and listening to, but, for a variety of reasons, it is just not up to the standards of the 3 "Experience" albums.



4. Jimi Hendrix-Band Of Gypsys *****
   
   Complete with ex-Electric Flag drummer Buddy Miles and old army buddy Billy Cox on bass and the man himself Jimi Hendrix on guitar at a loose New Years Eve concert at Bill Graham's Fillmore East jam Band Of Gypsys is the essential Hendrix recording, as well as his best.
   
   The rhythm section of Miles and Cox is in my opinion better than that of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Also I must say, that to me this is the best Hendrix ever played, nothing I have ever heard from him on any other release even comes close to this, maybe 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' from Electric Ladyland comes close but nothing else. His songwriting is also amazing here. I am not going to say it is better then on his other recordings though because I feel that Jimi was an amazing songwriter his entire career.
   
   'Who Knows' kicks things off on this blues-fusion album and does so greatly. 'Machine Gun' is perhaps the greatest thing Hendrix ever did. The guitar work is breathtaking, and the Vietnam conscious lyrics are heartfelt. Buddy Miles' 'Changes' is killer. The guitar and vocal work is some of the best and most raw blues ever recorded. 'Power To Love' and 'Message To Love' go hand in hand and should only be listened to back to back in succession. 'We Got To Live Together' closes the album and does so with a bang. The group vocals really get the message of the song across, and Hendrix's guitar sound on this track is head scratching, and Cox's bass playing on this track owns anything by the Experience.
   
   Band Of Gypsys was Hendrix's anti-celebrity album. He wanted to get away from the showmanship of his earlier recordings and performances because he and his black audience felt it was demeaning much like it was for the fantastic Louis Armstrong. I think he achieved what he set out to with Band Of Gypsys and so much more. This is a fantastic record that should be heard by everyone.



5. To make it short and sweet.Just listing to Machine Gun with all those war sounds coming out his guitar shows me Jimi Hendrix was and still thousand ahead of any computrize sounding guitar player of today.Hendrix is god !

5 comments about Tres Hombres.

1. Excellent sound quality. I'm now hearing the more subtle things that we couldn't hear back in the 8-track days. I saw these guys many, many times in the early 70's just before they hit it big and this CD really brings those shows back to life.
   
   If you're a ZZ fan you will love this version.



2. This is my personal favorite ZZ Top album, thankfully remastered in it's original form (minus all of the synthetic crap added on the Six Pack remixes and not fixed until 2006). Everybody even vaguely familiar with ZZ Top probably already knows the merits of these songs on this disc. My main reason for writing this review was to warn about downloading the mp3 album (which I almost did because this item was out of stock). When you click on the Buy mp3 link, it directs to to the 1990 release, which is the one you DON'T want. Apparently Amazon doesn't have the 2006 Original Recording Remaster available for download.



3. Awesome album all round, so glad they are back the world will always need ZZ TOP, HAVE MERCY!



4. No doubt the best ZZ Top offering of all! Three chord blues at it's finest! A total classic! This album/cassette/CD/ has been rockin' households for the last 35 years and still will be for the next 35 years as long as there are beer drinkers and hell raisers!



5. Texas boogie is the best way to describe this album (their best album) and this is the style I love them in.I never came to terms with their 80's persona and I never thought that they should have abandoned the trademark style that endeared them to so many of us in the 70's.Songs like "La Grange", "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers", "Hot, Blue and Righteous", "Precious and Grace", "Master of Sparks" and "Move Me On Down The Line" put their 80's work to shame.The days of cowboy hats, rhinestone suits and "That Little 'Ol Band From Texas" beat the days of long beards hands down.Get this album(along with "Rio Grande Mud", "Fandango" and "Tejas") and boogie to your hearts content.

5 comments about Complete Studio Recordings.

1. I bought this Led Zeppelin Box Set for my son for his birthdy and he loves it.



2. What a great deal this is! All nine stuido albums "Led Zeppelin" (1969), "Led Zeppelin II" (1969), "Led Zeppelin III" (1970), "Led Zeppelin IV" (1971), "Houses Of The Holy" (1973), "Physical Graffiti" (1975), "Presence" (1976), "In Through The Outdoor" (1979), and "Coda" (1982), each with remastered sound, are featured here.
   
   I don't think this awesome, influential band needs a big introduction but let's name the band members which were Robert Plant (vocals/harmonica), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones (bass/keyboards) and John Bonham (drums). As you listen to each album chronologically, you can hear how the band evolves from their initial blues-rock act to incorporate a lot of different styles like funk, reggae, folk, and some eastern influenced songs. That's one of the reasons why this band still sounds fresh today!
   
   Also included in the "Coda" album are four interesting bonus tracks: "Baby Come On Home" is a great outtake from their debut album, then there's "Travelling Riverside Blues" where Jimmy Page utilizes slide guitar comes from a BBC session and is based on an old Robert Johnson tune, "White Summer/Black Mountain Side" was recorded live for the In Concert BBC program and shows Page's eastern influence in his playing, and finally the most memorable of these is "Hey Hey What Can I Do" which goes in the folk direction so prominent on their third album. Easily the best of these four songs!
   
   The only minor complain might be that the live album from 1976 "The Song Remains The Same" was left off. So don't forget about it!
   Try to get both versions of it if you can though. That is the original CD issue and the new 2007 remastered & expanded edition because apparently there are some edit differences between them!
   So the best thing is to get both and also don't forget about the "BBC Sessions" and the other excellent live album "How The West Was Won" too!!
   
   In conclusion, this is a must buy for the Led Zeppelin fan!
   Thanks for taking the time to read!
   Later...



3. From the very first time I heard Led Zepplin I thought they were great. Having everything at one time is a dream come true. I probably had every one of these albums but at different times. And the remastered whoo! Its like hearing them for the first time. Thank you for letting me have a say.



4. Led Zeppelin were the progenitors of an entirely new approach to hard rock music that continues to influence the work of recording artists to this day. They seamlessly fused a diversity of musical styles into a coherent new sub-genre of rock and roll. Robert Plant's vocals were more than just lyrics with melody - he used his voice as a contributing instrument that augmented Jimmy Page's versatile (and sometimes mind-blowingly complex) guitar riffs. John Bonham's brutal drum onslaught remains legendary to this day. He played the drums like he lived - fast and hard (and he died way too young). John Paul Jones' bass playing was only the tip of the iceberg with regard to his talent and skill. A true multi-instrumentalist, he was also Zeppelin's keyboardist, he played mandolin, ukelele and sitar on some tracks, and the recorder (sounds a little like a flute if you're unfamiliar with it) on Stairway To Heaven.
   
   While I can see what other reviewers are talking about when they make mention of the cardboard sleeves that the cds come in, it doesn't seem that big a problem to me. I make back-up copies of all my cds as soon as they arrive and put the originals away for safe keeping, so sliding them in and out of the sleeves repeatedly isn't going to be a major issue for me.
   
   This is an excellent box set of Zepp's studio recordings. Granted, it would have been nice to have "The Song Remains The Same" included, but even without it, it's a set well worth the money. Highly recommended!



5. I came of age while this music was fresh and current. It was all around me: on the radio, at parties, at friends' houses, college dorm, bars, restaurants ... everywhere basically. My affection of their music was rekindled with the publicity surrounding their reunion on 12/10/07 and I downloaded the bootleg online. Shortly after, I purchased MOTHERSHIP but after giving those disks a few spins, I realized there were too many gaps that needed to be filled and this set was the only solution. The only way it could have made this better would be if it were packaged in an LP-sized box so that the album artwork was in its original size rather than thumbnails.

5 comments about Can't Buy a Thrill.

1. I was introduced to the album at the age of two. My dad had two copies of this album. I made several dubs of it to cassette, back when those were actually used. It still remains one of my favorite albums. And I only listen to it straight from the record anymore. It just sounds better. If you are so lucky to find it on vinyl, pick it up!



2. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1FL368BCXJJEX I'm personally offended by every rating less than 5 stars. But I have to realize these people weren't there when this album came out. It was central to the musical zeitgeist of the early 70's along with, to name just a few: Eagles, Dark Side Of The Moon, Tommy, Who's Next. VietNam was winding down, I was fresh out of the Army (draftee - no Vietnam, no comparison to real soldier - hated it anyway) and the music of Steely Dan ran all through it. Wickety times indeed. SD may have gotten "better", but there will only ever be one "Can't Buy A Thrill", and it has a feel of creative power that can't be defined or duplicated.
   
   Steely Dan started to get slick to me around Aja, I liked Kamakiriad by Fagen,which I highly recommend for a 'different' Steely Dan sound.
   
   Now don't hate me, but other than that I get the feeling that their music after 'Aja' (Gaucho) started to get increasingly kind of tongue and cheek Like they started doing ultra-slick stuff they could have done all along, but now they've moved away from rock-and-roll and towards the lounge lizard stuff (Two Against Nature) just to have fun.
   
   I actually saw them on a dance show, mabye 'Real Don Steele', I think about 72 or 73. I used to watch it to see all the girls in the halter tops and hot pants, and boom, there they were. I got a gripe with punkers and new wavers, however. They started coming on the show about that time dressed up and mugging, using up too much perfectly good T&A camera time. I couldn't figure out what their point was. That hasn't changed much. Just kidding - sort of.
   
   As for their latter music; I like rock-and-roll and I don't like most smooth jazz, so I have my hangups that maybe are biasing my opinion.
   
   Update: On reflection I realize I subconsciously regard Fagen and Becker as the incarnation of some musical ideal that has always existed. It's hard for me to imagine them having to actually write or work on songs - just jot 'em down and perform, in either order. I was shocked when I finally heard some of the original demos that preceded can't buy a thrill - what - not just rough, which is fine with me, but actually inferior to the finished song - how can this be?



3. Steely Dan's 1972 debut "Can't Buy A Thrill" was a landmark album not so much for its music as for the way it brought a new level of literacy into popular music. Fagen and Becker, through their ability to build complicated, yet seamless tales through brilliant, yet often truly satirical wordplay, moved far beyond the 1960s counterculture.
   
   The opening track "Do It Again" is one of the finest openers to any album and it is incredible "Rolling Stone" did not include it in their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time": in fairness, "Do It Again" should have been in the top fifty. The manner in which the cryptically dark lyrics about dramatic failures of people's plans are delivered in so light a way is one aspect of the song's staying power, but the sitar-and-percussion-driven jam and the energetic solo is another side. (The chorus line reminds me of former champion rugby fullback Garry Jack, and makes me wonder why the song never cropped up at sporting promotions).
   
   The rest of "Can't Buy A Thrill", whilst not matching the amazing opener, is still impressive. The wordplay in "Kings" will evoke the deepest memories of school history lessons with the "good King Richard" and "good King John"s, whilst "Dirty Work", if less energetic, is darkly beautiful and shows David Palmer - often derided - actually had a quite impressive voice. The second verse with its resigning, yet touching lyrics is enough to make the song worthwhile, as is the powerful and deep saxophone line before the last chorus.
   
   "Change of the Guard" has a wonderful guitar solo and playing that rivals "Do It Again", whilst the trademark piano on "Fire In The Hole" is really creepy and backed up by some lyrics that are closer to true poetry that Fagan was to be in later years. "Reeling In The Years" might be a little overplayed (compared to "Do It Again) but still possesses great truth in the way it showed the 1960s well and truly over, whilst the guitar break still sounds fresh and fiery thirty-five years after it was recorded. Finally, "Midnite Cruiser" really shows the plight of a "terrible loser" with evocative beauty.
   
   Few artists have ever made such a good debut as "Can't Buy A Thrill", and Steely Dan showed their talent by producing five superb albums up to 1976. Whilst the cerebral lyrics - which really will have any attuned listener thinking about the fate of the "losers" depicted so often within them - capture most attention, the playing is perfectly done and often truly passionate, and Gary Katz' production is very un-dated compared to most recordings from the 1970s.



4. Four stunning tracks (Do It Again, Dirty Work, Midnight Cruiser and Reelin' in the Years) justify the purchase of Can't Buy a Thrill - but the rest of the album is solid. This is Steely Dan before the jazz influence took hold, and it's an essential album.



5. If you are a Steely Dan fan or are completely (and sadly!) unacquainted with Steely Dan, this is a must have CD for your collection. This CD is, in my opinion, some of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's best material. It has the salient hits Do it again and Reeling in the years but it also has the beautiful gems Dirty Work and Turn that Heartbeat over again. There are no weak songs on this CD. If you are just getting acquainted with Steely Dan, this is the best CD to start with. If you are already a fan of Steely Dan make room in your collection for this one. This CD delivers satisfaction! Other essential CDs would be Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied, Countdown To Ecstasy and The Royal Scam. These are core essential CDs for any Steely Dan collection!

5 comments about Very Best of Jethro Tull.

1. Jethro Tull. They are a legendary progressive group whose music has made an impact on many generations. Led by Ian Anderson, the legendary flute player and singer and Martin Barre, Tull has made some of the finest music ever put out.
   
   'The Very Best of Jethro Tull,' unfortunately doesn't document it. There are so many songs missing. And, 'Thick As A Brick' and 'Heavy Horses' are both edited. 'Thick As A Brick' is chopped down from 40+ minutes to just 3:03, and 'Heavy Horses' from 8+ to 3:20.
   
   And, if you're going to issue 'The Very Best of Jethro Tull' AT LEAST MAKE IT TWO DISCS!!! Where is 'Teacher,' 'Crossfire,' 'A Song For Jeffrey,' 'Warchild' and 'Dharma For One'? These are key tracks to Jethro Tull's legacy, and yet, they are all not on here!
   
   This disc does fill 78 of the 80 minutes that can be held on a disc, so it's not skimpy, but it could be a lot better. If you want a Jethro Tull collection of songs in their full-length versions, check out 'Classic Masters' or 'Through The Years.' It doesn't matter, considering they are identical.
   
   The bottom line is Chrysalis could have done A LOT better.



2. Jethro Tull was one these bands that one might denominate as heralds of the Rock. Indeed, they established new paths and ways of expression through the wise employment of the flute and a smart support on the basis of the folk tunes of Irish airs.
   
   So the final outcome was an accurate blend of power and original musicality that became them as one of ther most innovative bands at the end of the sixties.
   
   After them, there were many other bands that inspired by them, intended with minor success to repeat the formula. But as you and me are aware about the historical transcendence of a immortal band that signed with golden letters a well deserved place among the great ones.
   
   To my mind the cream of the cream tracks are Teacher, Aqualung, Living in the past, Cross eyed Mary, Thick as a brick, Minstrel in the gallery, Bouree, A new day yesterday, Nothing is easy , The whistler and Heavy horses.



3. Frequently Asked Question #1: Why does Tull have so many different compilations?
   Answer: Because they were compiled at different times over a 30 year period, and for different reasons.
   
   FAQ #2: Which one is the very best for the casual listener?
   Answer: The Very Best of Jethro Tull.
   
   Here's why. The first three compilations were made in the Analog Era (Living in the Past, M.U., and Repeat) and hardly shared any songs between them. This was followed by a compilation of remastered hits at the beginning of the Digital Era (Original Masters) which had mostly songs from the previous three but had that [ADD] indicator that was so important at the time. On the 25th and 30th anniversaries they released "non-hit" compilations, or concept compilations (Acoustic and Through the Years), if you will, that are really good, but are not "hits collections".
   
   This album, The Very Best, can be considered the final word on hits compilations. It supercedes Original Masters. Since Original masters, Ian Anderson went back into the mixing booth and remastered every one of the analog albums. The Very Best takes the remastered versions from the albums that Ian Anderson remastered. If you want the hits in their finest digital form, as re-envisioned by the kingpin of the band himself, do not look any further. This is it.
   
   That said, it appears that Mr. Anderson is remaking the original compilations using the remastered recordings. The first is a remastered M.U. called Essential Jethro Tull. I imagine there will be a remastered Repeat called Essential Jethro Tull II in a year or two. What else is coming? What will they do for the 40 year retrospective? Maybe a compilation of songs about cats? That would be fun, but, if you don't want to buy 21 albums and create your own playlists, then go for this one, The Very Best of Jethro Tull.
   
   Clue: Buy it here instead of iTunes! It costs a dollar less, you get the CD and all that, and it's 20 songs!



4. Its got the more familiar tunes on it, but missing a couple of his better hits. Overall, a good collection.



5. It's excellent for any Tull Fan---Ian Anderson put together the tracks himself; what he considers the best of the best

5 comments about Dreamboat Annie.

1. This is Heart at its best - a great rock and roll album. This one belongs in every true rock fans' CD collection. White Lightning & Wine is a GREAT tune, worth the cost of the record by itself.



2. I love almost every song on the record.
   Love their vocals and arrangements, great band.
   Wish they had more like this...



3. The first and best Heart album. This is an essential and must own album for any fan of rock music.



4. I remember when "Magic Man" hit the airwaves, I was so impressed that I went out & bought the album. The Wilson sisters from Seattle did not disappoint. "Magic Man", at the time, was a radical departure for a lead female vocalist. As the Wilson sisters were so fond of saying, "We rawk!" This was an impressive debut from the group. They did three different versions of "Dreamboat Annie", albeit each subtly different. "Crazy on You" was the other hit from this album though it didn't chart as well. "Crazy on You", in my opinion, was just as good as "Magic Man". What set it apart was the acoustic intro, Nancy was an excellent rhythm guitarist. Ann had the killer voice that could gravitate from soft to harsh in a second, a very gifted vocalist. Other great songs on this album include "White Lightening and Wine" & "Sing Child".
   
   Heart could do ballads and rock hard. They have been compared to Led Zeppelin, even called "the female Led Zeppelin". I'm not sure who propagated this myth but Heart didn't do anything to disprove it. They wholeheartedly covered Led Zeppelin songs. I'm not familiar with them before they hit it big but did see them in concert about the time the album Magazine was released. They put on a great show but they didn't do any Led Zeppelin songs. Since that time, however, they have released two Led Zeppelin songs that they covered: "Rock and Roll" & "Stairway to Heaven". It's even been claimed that one song from their second album "Dream of the Archer" was a complete appropriation of the Led Zeppelin song "The Battle of Evermore". Certainly there are some similarities. But the comparison to Led Zeppelin was an unfair one. Ann had the vocal ability to match Robert Plant but the rest of the group weren't on the same talent level of Led Zeppelin. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Heart, they were a group that was capable of many styles & they did them well.



5. I first discovered Heart by going through my dad's old record collection and stumbling across "Dreamboat Annie". I was hooked on the first listen. Now I own all their CD's, and this album still holds a special place in my heart. It's definitely one of their best releases, and also probably their most unified, conceptual album. Though we now have CDs and iPods to listen to our music, I will review this album as if it were still on vinyl to respect the structure and intent of Heart.
   
   The hard-rocking, bouncy rhythm of "Magic Man" opens up this quasi-concept album. An acoustic ditty of "Dreamboat Annie" follows, then the radio classic "Crazy on You", which begins with a very fine acoustic guitar solo from Nancy Wilson. "Soul of the Sea", a mellow track with a catchy bass line and an exciting bridge section. A full-band version of "Dreamboat Annie" ends the first side of the album.
   
   "White Lightning & Wine" rocks open the second side with a catchy guitar riff and crooning vocals from Ann Wilson. "Love Me Like Music (I'll Be Your Song)" is slow and dripping without being too soft. "Sing Child" fuses bluesy vocal harmonies with a hard-rocking backing band. "How Deep It Goes" is indeed the deepest song on the album, succulent and spacey, featuring a backing orchestra. A slower reprise of "Dreamboat Annie" provides closure to this beautiful album.
   
   At this price, "Dreamboat Annie" is a must-have, hands-down.
   
   Note: don't buy this album expecting a carbon-copy of Heart's eponymous album or any of their more well-known 80's albums. "Dreamboat Annie" was released in '76, and has a VERY different feel, much more folk-rocky. It owes much more to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd than to Survivor and Pat Benatar. If you know them primarily for their hits "If Looks Could Kill", "These Dreams", and "What About Love", I suggest you pick up this album. You'll be pleasantly surprised with the musicality and depth of "Dreamboat Annie".

5 comments about Frampton Comes Alive!.

1. I love it now just as I loved it then. Sounds great and the price was right!



2. I recently purchased Frampton Comes Alive cd and it still sounds as good as the day it was released.The music from this era is timless!!!!



3. This album is amazing. I'm only 23, so this music is way before my time (I never even heard of Peter Frampton until 2005). I kept hearing it's one of the best selling live albums ever, and after hearing it, it's for a darn good reason. The production quality is crystal clear, the songs are classics, and it's just a blast to listen to over and over! Everyone should own this album for it truly stands the test of time.



4. If you were a teenager in the late 70's this record was issued to you.
   It permeated that entire era. A must have. Bought it on cd a while ago and really enjoyed listening to all of it again. Frampton was really at the top of his game here. Memories.



5. Oh my gosh after 30 years 'Do You Feel Like I Do" still brings tears to my eyes! Its my high school years all over....wow! I really loved the casualness of this album, it really 'Shines On' Peter Frampton's talent (not in the singing area but his fabulous guitar riffs!)

5 comments about Past Masters, Vol. 1.

1. La muy estimada e incomparable coleccion de los populares singles que en su momento editaron los FAB FOUR, y que no fueron incluidas en sus LPs; las PAST MASTERS son un complemento para todo el que tiene la coleccion de los Beatles, pues ademas de clasicas arrolladoras como SHE LOVES YOU, I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND, I FEEL FINE y FROM ME TO YOU tambien nos presentan magnificos y esplendidos "lados B" como THANK YOU GIRL, I'LL GET YOU,THIS BOY y grandes piezas innovadoras y experimentales como SHE'S A WOMAN y YES IT IS; a destacar tambien las "rarezas" como las versiones alemanas KOMM GIB MIR DEINE HAND y SIE LIEBT DICH, asi como las "covers" de LONG TALL SALLY y SLOW DOWN (simplemente superan a las originales) RECOMENDADO PARA TODO AMANTE DEL POP Y EL ROCK!!



2. There are titles on this CD that can't be found on any of the released albums, either British of American. And "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" is worth it for the oddity alone. Recommended. Get Volume 2 as well.



3. The songs, included on this LP are not replay from original records, but collection of the songs which wasn't published at a time. This great LP must be part of any collection of Beatles records.



4. Although they're the band that made history more than any other, The Beatles `Past Masters, Volume I' may be judged as a quaint archive of their music. In danger of being pigeon-holed as a half repetitive, half extraneous addition to one's C.D. collection, I was pleasantly relieved to find much to embrace from the selections. Having songs that are repeated on the smash `1,' it is a hard sell considering there are five songs* on both albums.
   
   The good news is how wonderful the less available songs are received by hungry ears yearning for a bigger Beatles' diet. I almost bought this C.D. for "She's a Woman" alone. The B-side of the truly stunning "I Feel Fine," it features arguably one of Paul's best early vocal performances. Truly belted out with gusto, this gem has the guitar twang and percussion to match, layered with some textured piano. In a vintage vein, "This Boy" works well as the UK's flip-side for "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Sometimes a forgotten ballad, except in the movie 'A Hard Day's Night,' it captures their fifties romantic affinity well. "Bad Boy" is a rascally number, sung with power by John with a back-up that should all that prove the Beatles were catapulted by their Hamburg performances as much as their novelty haircuts. And, speaking of Hamburg, two German versions of their songs ("I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You") show a gratitude for the preparation that tested their mettle with fire. While two versions seem a bit repetitive, I've yet to hit fast-forward. Paul's prowess pervades "I'm Down," a flip side with substance backing up the heralded "Help!". Continuing with the essentials, "I Call Your Name" sounds like the song that got away from the 'A Hard Day's Night' soundtrack.
   
   Aside from the big five hits, the rest of the C.D. is merely very good. "Matchbox" isn't Ringo's remake of 'Boys,' but it rounds out the other songs nicely. "Long Tall Sally" proves Paul's earnest devotion to Little Richard and sports a spirited rendition. "Yes It Is" is slightly languid with the exception of John's booming voice which is in fine form. "Thank You Girl" is heartwarming, yet similar in this vein. "Slow Down" is perhaps the most excellent of the lesser gems, even if John's vocal talent is in danger of drowning out the rest.
   
   So much to love and discover on `Past Masters, Volume I'. Hopefully, you'll try it out and unearth the hidden treasures for yourself.
   
   (*"Love Me Do," "From Me to You," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "I Feel Fine" can be found on this collection and `1'.)



5. Past Masters The Beatles Early years one & Two are both rocking CD's if one wants to get a sense of this groups sound which made them World Famous.Past Masters one and Two have songs that were not releaed on their U.S. Albums. Many were for European consumption. No matter we all rock to the same Rythems of thei Phenominal Super Group. Whos influences still echo through the Music Industrie almost 43 years later. !!