Music

Average customer rating:

Absolutely the Best!
The Chiffons
Manufacturer: Fuel 2000
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Ultimate Collection

ASIN: B00065U0RC
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Tracks:

He's So Fine
One Fine Day
Sweet Talkin' Guy
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
My Boyfriend's Back
Did You Ever Go Steady
Sailor Boy
I Have A Boyfriend
A Love So Fine
I Wonder Why
When The Boy's Happy (The Girl's Happy Too)
Just For Tonight
Tonight I Met An Angel
Keep The Boy Happy

Average customer rating:

Quintissential Bobby Goldsboro
The Worst Song of All Time
Original recordings remastered
Brilliant pop singer of the sixties and seventies
Excellent

Absolutely the Best
Bobby Goldsboro
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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All the Best
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ASIN: B00008W2UF
Release Date: 2003-04-15

Tracks:

Honey
See The Funny Little Clown
Summer (The First Time)
Watching Scotty Grow
Whenever He Holds You
Little Things
Voodoo Woman
It's Too Late
Blue Autumn
The Straight Life
I'm A Drifter
Autumn Of My Life
With Pen In Hand
And I Love You So
I'm A Rock

Customer Reviews:

Quintissential Bobby Goldsboro.......2007-07-03

Speaking of the trip down Memory Lane - this is it. Bobby's voice,in pure form,will bring the past alive for you.

The Worst Song of All Time.......2006-04-21

CNN Eye on Entertainment named "Honey" the worst song of all time. I whole heartedly agree. Just listen to the lyrics. Absolutely pathetic!

Original recordings remastered.......2005-11-04

As another reviewer pointed out, this compilation stands out among all of the Bobby Goldsboro collections. This fine selection contains the original recordings remastered beautifully. BEginning with the world famous hit "Honey", you just know you have got yourself a great CD. My all time favourite "Summer, the first time" is included and is such a spine tingling song - haunting and beautiful. Also included on this compilation are his impressive covers of "I am a rock" and "And I love you so".

If you are looking for the best Bobby compilation, this is the one. It does not contain any of the re-recordings that he did in the early 90's (urgh).

Brilliant pop singer of the sixties and seventies.......2005-06-13

Bobby was never a prolific hit-maker but he wrote and recorded plenty of great songs. Most of the best songs are included in this wonderful compilation, which primarily focuses on his American hits.

Bobby's biggest hit came with a song he didn't write - Honey, a song that many people have strong opinions about. Honey made number one in the American pop and country charts in 1968. It also made number two in the UK pop charts that year. Re-released in the UK in 1975, Honey again made number two. Many singers have covered this song but the strangest cover is that by Tammy Wynette, who adapted the lyrics, taking the role of the woman who died in the song and singing from beyond the grave, even apologizing for dying.

Bobby's first American hit came in 1964 when he made the top ten with See the funny little clown. Apart from Honey, he never again made the American top ten though he came close with Little things (a UK top five hit for Dave Berry) and Watching Scotty grow. His other American top forty hits were Summer the first time (which made the UK top ten for Bobby), Autumn of my life, Voodoo woman (different from Bobby's usual mellow style - this one has an R+B feel to it), Whenever he holds you, It's too late, The straight life and Blue autumn. Bobby had other American hits that didn't make the top forty including With pen in hand (written by Bobby but it had previously been a hit for both Billy Vera and Vikki Carr), And I love you so (a cover of a Don McLean song that gave Perry Como a major international hit) and I'm a drifter. The compilation is completed by Bobby's cover of I am a rock (Simon and Garfunkel).

This compilation does not contain every Bobby Goldsboro song worth having. For example, it omits Hello summertime (a UK top twenty hit) and Cowboy and the lady (covered by Dolly Parton as Cowgirl and the Dandy for her album, Here you come again). Nevertheless, this is a very strong compilation of Bobby's music.

It is worth noting (in case you're tempted by a track listing of a rival compilation) that some compilations contain inferior re-recordings I do not mind re-recordings as such, but with Bobby's music, it is wise to stick with the originals. If you only want one compilation of Bobby's original recordings, this is the one to choose. If you decide to buy a different compilation, make sure that you know what you're buying.

Excellent.......2005-01-07

I really enjoyed this disc. Bobby Goldsboro is best known for "Honey" but I like some of the lesser known songs even more. I rate 7 of the 15 songs as very good or excellent. My favorites are "I'm A Drifter" and "Autumn Of My Life".

If you like "Honey" but don't know many of the other songs, you won't be disappointed with this disc.

Absolutely Right: The Best of Five Man Electrical Band

Average customer rating:

Five Man Electrical Band - 'Absolutely Right: The Best Of.... (Polygram)
A breath of 60's fresh air
Absolutely Rockin'
Fantastic
fun

Absolutely Right: The Best of Five Man Electrical Band
Five Man Electrical Band
Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Open
The Best of Sugarloaf
Sugarloaf/Spaceship Earth
The Best of Edison Lighthouse: Love Grows
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

ASIN: B000006YPE
Release Date: 1995-11-24

Tracks:

Signs (LP Version)
Dance Of The Swamp Woman
Hello Melinda, Goodbye
Moonshine (Friend Of Mine)
The Man With Horse And Wagon
Absolutely Right
Coming Of Age
Country Girl Suite
Julianna
I'm A Stranger Here (LP Version)
We Play Rock 'N Roll
Money Back Guarantee
Werewolf
Signs (Single Version)
I'm A Stranger Here (Single Version)

Album Description

1995 Mercury/Polydor records release out of Canada

Album Details

Assemblage of Tunes from the Canada's Own Five Man Electrical Band. Features Highlights from the Group's Various Albums, 'Goodbyes and Butterflies' (1970), 1971's 'Coming of Age' and More. Contains the Quintet's Crowning Show Piece 'Signs' (LP and Single Version), 'i'm a Stranger Here' (Also Two Versions) plus 'Country Girl Suite', 'Coming of Age', 'Julianna', 'Moonshine' and More.

Customer Reviews:

Five Man Electrical Band - 'Absolutely Right: The Best Of.... (Polygram).......2007-01-23

Looks to be the only CD available at the current time of this short-lived,two hit maker(not a one hit wonder,as most might assume)Canadian radio-friendly AM rock 'n roll five piece. Fifteen track anthology of Five Man's repertoire. Couldn't help but to notice the band had a slight country music direction. No matter,this CD is still worth a listen by you older fans(like myself). Most memorable cuts here are both the lp and single versions of "Signs", "Dance Of The Swamp Woman", the catchy "Absolutely Right" (the B-side to the "Signs" 45 single+their second actual hit), the well played "Julianna", "We Play Rock 'N Roll" and "Money Back Guarantee". Line-up:Les Emmerson-guitar&vocals,Brian Rading-bass,Ted Gerow-keyboards,Bobby Bruce-violin and Rick Belanger-drums.Another classic rock act from up north.

A breath of 60's fresh air.......2007-01-20

Good music from back in the day.This was a very underrated band and listening to them is a pleasurable trip back in time.

Absolutely Rockin'.......2005-12-20

A great collection by a great band. Originally known as "The Staccatos" in their hometown of Ottawa Ontario they recorded an album for Capitol and used one of the cuts from the album to rename themselves. From the rock anthem "Signs" and its "B" side "Hello Melinda Goodbye" to the underplayed "Julianna" and other great tunes such as "Absolutely Right, Werewolf" and "I'm a Stranger Here" this is a definitive cross section of the band. The group's leader Les Emmerson even had a decent solo career afterwards with some hits of his own.

Fantastic.......2002-12-23

Very few bands can successfully combine folk, rock, blues, and psycadelic pop into one unified sound, but Five Man Electrical Band pulled it off with flying colors. Every song here is of high calibre, and for those who have only heard "Signs," that is actually weaker than many of the cuts on this disc. True, the sound quality isn't sterling, but the quality of the playing and complex harmony vocals cuts through any technical imperfections. A must buy, even if it is hard to find.

fun.......2002-11-15

I found the original Lp, 'coming of age' in the basement the other day, it is absoultely amazing, and those songs on it, coupled with the other hits certainly are great and fun to listen to.

Average customer rating:

9 more tracks on "Sugar Sugar"
Music They Don't Make Anymore
I never get tired of this
Back down memory lane
BUBBLEGUM AT ITS BEST!!!

Absolutely the Best of the Archies
The Archies
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005J73V
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Tracks:

Eveything's Archie (Archie's Theme)
Get On The Line
Bicycles, Roller Skates And You
Bang-Shang-A-Lang
Feelin' So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y.-D.O.O.)
Truck Driver
Melody Hill
Who's Your Baby?
Sugar, Sugar
Who's Gonna Love Me?
Jingle Jangle
Inside-Out, Upside-Down
Sugar And Spice
Sunshine
This Is Love
Archie's Party

Customer Reviews:

9 more tracks on "Sugar Sugar".......2007-07-06

Anybody into bubblegum needs the Archies, but nobody needs more than one compilation, so it's either this one or Repertoire's Sugar, Sugar

"Sugar Sugar" has all the tracks from "Absolutely" except the 1-minute cartoon theme song (which you can download from iTunes).
Plus "Sugar Sugar" has an additional 9 songs not on "Absolutely".

Only catch: "Sugar Sugar" costs 30% more, but you get 50% more music.

The question now is how much do you want that theme tune, and how much do you want to spend?

Hmm...dilemma

Music They Don't Make Anymore.......2007-01-09

I received this as a birthday gift last year. I knew a few of The Archies songs on the disc (Sugan, Sugar, Bang-Shang-A-Lang, Truck Driver & Jingle Jangle) so I popped it in and listened. I loved it. It just made me think they don't make music like this anymore. Happy sounding, upbeat kinda music much like the Bubble Gum Music Era of the 1960's with bands like The Ohio Express & 1910 Fruitgum Co. This disc was great. Not a bad tune on it. If you like music of this era I would highly recommend it. It's about 40 minutes of pure listening pleasure.

I never get tired of this.......2005-12-22

I remember liking the Archies at a very young age and my older brothers making fun of "Bubblegum". Hey, I liked some heavy metal at times but it feels good to be old enough not to care what others think when it comes to ALL the music I enjoy! Enya? Yes! Bodeans? Darn Right! John Denver? well, sometimes. But this Archies CD is soooooo groovy, and makes me feel ALRIGHT, all over. Every song is fun. I don't remember the cartoon show, but who cares. If you like Sugar Sugar, you'll like the rest. But did anybody else hear that Reggie got into trouble? Here's hoping he can turn his life around and clean up; maybe somebody will offer him his own radio show.

Back down memory lane.......2005-09-17

I have enjoyed this CD and remember back to the albums of the Archies that I so foolishly gave to Goodwill many years ago. Of course when you are a child you do not always pick up on words and phrases so I have been tickled by the silly words to the songs. "Sunday after mass, picnic in the grass, diggin Momma Cass with Skoobydoo"(LOL). I have been driving down the autobahn singing my little heart out! This collection of the the Archies hits is pretty good. Just one song that I felt could have been left out but we all have our preferences. I have enjoyed reading the historical information about the voices and people behind the Archies sound as well as information about the music included in the insert. I would suggest that other Archie fans purchase this CD. It will be money well spent.

BUBBLEGUM AT ITS BEST!!!.......2005-09-02

Finally, we get an Archies compilation with great sound that includes all of the Top 100 hits. The only bad thing about this disc is that the total time is just shy of 40 minutes. In this day & age there is no excuse for not filling a "best of" cd with 75+ minutes. They could've fit at least a dozen more songs on here! I think a "Volume 2" is in order, or better yet, reissue the albums as two-fers with bonus cuts. Now we're talking!

Average customer rating:

Nice mixes
Good Overview, since updated
Great career overview
An underrated band
I LOVE ABC!

Absolutely ABC: The Best of ABC
ABC
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001FWD
Release Date: 1990-08-07

Tracks:

Poison Arrow
The Look Of Love
All Of My Heart
Tears Are Not Enough
That Was Then But This Is Now
S.O.S.
How To Be A Millionaire
Be Near Me
When Smokey Sings
The Night You Murdered Love
King Without A Crown
One Better World
Ocean Blue
The Look Of Love (Remix)
When Smokey Sings (The Miami Mix)
Be Near Me (Munich Disco Mix)
One Better World (Pickering-Park Mix)

Amazon.com

The only problem with this collection is that all the best stuff, the choice cuts, pretty much come from their first album, Lexicon of Love, when Martin Fry and friends found the magic mix of words and synthesizers. Verbose, punning, and as overblown as a society wedding cake, there was still something about it that was perfect for the times. "Poison Arrow," and "The Look of Love" put heartbreak to a beat while "Tears Are Not Enough" took it all over the top. After that first album, there were only two songs of note, "How to Be a Millionaire," and "When Smokey Sings," really worthy of inclusion here, which is probably when four of the tracks have been needlessly remixed to fill up the remaining space. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews:

Nice mixes.......2006-07-20

This is a nice compilation of ABC's work including their well known tracks as you would expect on a "best of" CD. The remixes of Be Near Me and When Smokey Sings are great party tracks.

Good Overview, since updated.......2005-09-17

While this made a pretty good retrospective when it was first released, the 2002 compilation, "Look of Love," eliminates the superfluous remixes, adds four more songs and is a better remaster. Skip this one and jump up to "Look."

Great career overview.......2005-08-17

"Absolutely ABC" plays it absolutely safe, showcasing the biggest hits for one of the New Romantic movement's biggest bands. The tracks skew heavily towards their most successful releases, "Lexicon..." (five tracks including remixes), "...Zillionaire" (five tracks including remixes), and "Alphabet City" (four tracks including remixes). It would have been nice to include the original demo for "Tears Are Not Enough" to show how quickly the band progressed and it's a bit strange they left out "Where is the Heaven?" from "Up" which was a pretty big club hit. Most ABC releases tend to append remixes so it seems rather strange and pointless to include them here, but that's all minor quibbling. The Munich Disco Mix of "Be Near Me" is the one everyone danced to at clubs so it seems appropriate to add it here. "Absolutely ABC" is a nice thing for completeists or for someone wanting a survey of ABC's greatest hits only, but most of their individual releases are worth buying. Better still is "The Remix Collection" which comprises of extended mixes and remixes covering the same era. It's a bit of a shame this hasn't been repackaged to include later tracks from "Abracadabra" and "Skyscraping" but I'm sure that will happen in time.

An underrated band.......2005-03-15

ABC is one of the more "forgotten" New Wave pop bands of the 80s. Forever in the pop-culture shadow of the likes of Duran Duran, Human League, Simple Minds, and even A Flock of Seagulls. Yet ABC had a sound all their own, a sort of cerebral intelligence to their lyrics to go with the catchy hooks.

The best songs on this compilation are "Poison Arrow", "The Look Of Love", and "All Of My Heart" (all big chart hits). The underappreciated "Tears Are Not Enough" and "Be Near Me" are also solid. Yes, there is some filler on this compilation (senseless remixes for the most part), but overall a good reminder of why ABC was a critical (if not a smashing commercial) success in the 80s.

Be warned, however, that this CD does include the lamentable song "When Smokey Sings". While not a bad listen musically, it definitely marked the point at which ABC's career came to a crashing halt. A New Wave band singing a paen to the Motown sound? Isn't that a bit like a hard-rock band writing about the joys of Disco? Motown is about as far as you can get from what the New Wave movement stood for. No wonder fans bailed in droves at that point!

I LOVE ABC!.......2005-03-09

With a title like that, you would have assumed I would have given this hits package 5 stars. I bought this CD when it first came out back in 1990, and have played it many, many times since then. I was ecstatic that one of my favorite bands of the 80's had put out a greatest hits package. However, I was always disappointed that they had left off "Vanity Kills" in favor of 4 remixed tracks. I eventually got "Vanity Kills" on an 80's compilation CD, so my collection of ABC songs to hit the Billboard Hot 100 was complete. Since this was issued, 2 more ABC hits packages have been issued ("20th Century Masters-The Millenium Collection" and "Look of Love - The Very Best of ABC"). I have not listened to either of these recent hits packages, so I am not in a position to compare them, but I do know that these newer packages do include "Vanity Kills" plus some other tracks. So, if you are a casual ABC fan that only remembers the "big" hits ("The Look of Love", "Poison Arrow", "Be Near Me", "How to Be [A Millionaire]", and "When Smokey Sings") then this CD will suffice. But if you are looking for all of their Hot 100 chart entries, then I suggest checking out one of the other titles available.

Average customer rating:

Unbelieveably Good
okay if you like mono
Good material, but it's not enough
A bit short on running time, but still some great music
liked about a third of it

Absolutely the Best
The Zombies
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000JMX0
Release Date: 1999-07-13

Tracks:

She's Not There
Leave Me Be
Tell Her No
The Way I Feel Inside
She's Coming Home
Nothing's Changed
I Want You Back Again
Whenever You're Ready
If It Don't Work Out
I Love You
Is This The Dream
Remember You
Just Out Of Reach
Gotta Get A Hold Of Myself
Time Of The Season
Imagine The Swan

Customer Reviews:

Unbelieveably Good.......2006-07-15

The Zombies are definitly one of my favorite bands. These songs were back made back in the 1960's and they were VERY ahead of their time. The melodies are so intricate and touching. They are one of the greatest bands in history, but sadly never got the rewards for it. Their 1968 album Oddesey and Oracle is in the Rolling Stone top 100 albums listing. This music is timeless. Its a relief to hear this real music compared to the complete garbage being pumped out by the money- obsessed music industry of today. If you dont like this music you apparently have no taste.

okay if you like mono.......2005-07-09

Granted, I don't know if some or most of these songs were only recorded in mono (I doubt it), and that format is true to the 'transitor radio' ethos of that era, but still, the label should have acknowledged on the outside CD packaging that all but one or two songs are in mono. Okay, enough whining. The Zombies were among the greats, IMO, in Britpop. Someone said Partridge family-esque. Say what?! Listen to these gems. Great melodies, great harmonies. In addition to the obvious Rod Argent-penned hits - "She's Not There," "Tell Her No" and "Time of the Season" - there's Chris White's "I Love Her," an incredible song that was taken to the charts by "The People" (who?!) in '68. All in all, an exceptional slice of the 60s, except...

Good material, but it's not enough.......2003-09-18

The Zombies were one of the finest rock groups of the sixties. It's no surprise they still get oldies and classic rock airplay. Needless to say, over the years, a number of compilations have been released for these guys. How does this one measure up? Read on and find out.

PROS:
-If you're the casual Zombies fan who just wants to get Time Of The Season, She's Not There, and Tell Her No on one disc, you've come to the right place!
-There are a plethora of underrated masterpieces here as well.
-You get two bonus tracks - alternative versions to two of the band's biggest hits.

CONS:
-The major problem with this compilation is that it's hard to come by. You may have to search a few stores before you find it.
-It's only fifty minutes long, and you can fit eighty minutes onto a CD.

OVERALL:
If you're a casual fan of the Zombies (and nothing more), than this compilation is recommended. These guys played REAL rock and roll, not the junk that has flooded the airwaves in the modern age.

A bit short on running time, but still some great music.......2003-01-01

With their Byrds-ish jangle, Beach Boys-ish harmonies and Moody Blues-ish keyboard parts, it is difficult to argue that The Zombies were a band ahead of their time. Yet, one of the major reasons this St. Albans, England quintet only had three hits, despite being one of the best singles-orientated bands of their day, is that popular music was not quite ready for their tricky time changes and winding melodies. Certainly, the quality of the material was not a problem. A survey of Absolutely the Best, which collects sixteen of The Zombies' greatest tracks, reveals a plethora of almost perfect pop-rock singles, such as the gently rolling "Remember You;" the hauntingly bleak "Imagine the Swan;" the masterful alternations between jazz-ish virtuosity and R&B-ish oomph, "Is This the Dream" and "Just Out of Reach;" and the remarkably clever "Whenever You're Ready," which is probably the best snide, offhand rejection song this side of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's Alright." Then there are the hits: The frantic "She's Not There," the serene "Tell Her No" and the playful "Time of the Season," all of which are bonafied classics.

The consistent excellence of their work makes listening any Zombies collection a delight, but it also makes one hungry for more after this particular compilation, lasting a mere forty minutes, has ended. Surely, project supervisors could have found more material to treat listeners to, especially considering "Time of the Season" is the only track from the group's only proper album, 1968's Odessey and Oracle, which is considered a masterpiece in many circles. Hopefully, The Zombies will someday be granted a best-of compilation with a more satisfying running time. Until then, Absolutely the Best, although somewhat scanty, remains the best introduction to this astounding and underrated band.

liked about a third of it.......2002-11-03

That says it: a third of the album is good, the hit tunes they are known for--and the rest of the tunes are really not all that good. However, I will always like and appreciate the Zombies for the great hit numbers they had.

Average customer rating:

Queen of Folk
Queen of Folk
Wonderful
Wonderful
Wonderful

Absolutely the Best
Odetta
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

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The Essential Odetta
Looking for a Home
Gonna Let It Shine
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In This Land

ASIN: B00004YLKW
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Tracks:

Gallows Tree (Gallows Pole)
Joshua
Chilly Winds
He's Got The Whole World In His Hand
Take This Hammer
Muleskinner Blues
Another Man Done Gone
Midnight Special
Alabama Bound
God's Gonna Cut You Down
Glory, Glory
Easy Rider
Jack O'Diamonds
Shame And Scandal
'Buked And Scorn
Lowlands
Pretty Horses
Spiritual Trilogy: Oh Freedom/Come And Go With Me/I'm On My Way

Customer Reviews:

Queen of Folk.......2002-06-25

This is an excellent compilation of Odetta's best stuff. The collection covers her years with Tradition Records to Vanguard Records. This will satisfy both the soulful, gospel fan, as well as as some folk legends such as Bob Dylan.

Queen of Folk.......2002-06-24

Wonderful.......2002-03-18

Odetta is one of the greatest and this CD is a gem. I downloaded it in MP3 format but I'll be buying her on CD. Her voice deserves that sort of respect.

Wonderful.......2002-03-18

Odetta is the greatest, this CD is a must. I downloaded it in MP3
format but I'll be buying her on CD. Her voice deserves that sort
of respect.

Wonderful.......2002-03-18

Odetta is the greatest, this CD is a must. I downloaded it in MP3
format but I'll be buying her on CD. Her voice deserves that sort
of respect.

Average customer rating:

****1/2 - not all of the best. But what's here is great
Absolutely!

Absolutely the Best
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Blues Masters: The Very Best of Lightnin' Hopkins

ASIN: B00004WF4X
Release Date: 2000-08-15

Tracks:

Walk On
Down By The Riverside
Blues For The Lowland
Right On That Shore
I'm A Stranger Here
Blowin' The Fuses
Trouble In Mind
Po' Boy
Early Morning Blues
Drinkin' In The Blues
In The Evening
Blues For Gamblers
Dirty Mistreater
What A Beautiful City

Customer Reviews:

****1/2 - not all of the best. But what's here is great.......2004-10-18

This 14-song compilation is not everything you could ever want from acoustic country blues duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. A couple of their live albums, like the two December, 1961 concerts captured on "Sonny & Brownie At Sugar Hill" and "Backwater Blues" respectively, are at least as good as introduction, but there is certainly nothing wrong with what is here.

There is a notable lack of good, career-spanning Sonny & Brownie-compilations, and even this August, 2000 disc is a bit on the short side considering that a CD has room for 80 minutes of music. But "Absolutely The Best" is definitely the best single-disc collection there is, and songs like "Walk On", "I'm A Stranger Here", "Dirty Mistreater", and the lesser-known but equally enjoyable "Po' Boy" are all among the duo's best. Indeed, the first two both rank among the all-time acoustic blues classics, and the combination of Sonny Terry's raw freight-train harmonica and gruff vocals and Walter "Brownie" McGhee's softer, more melodic approach guarantees lots of great moments.

"Absolutely The Best is an entertaining, thoughtfully chosen compilation, and if you get this one along with the two live albums I mentioned earlier, you'll pretty much be set!
Well, alright...there is "Live At The New Penelope Café", too, of course. And "Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry At The 2nd Fret".
But this is still a great place to start!

Absolutely!.......2001-03-30

This re-mastered version contains some of the finest riffs from Sonny. The quality of the sound is unparalleled. Accompanying Sonny and Brownie on 3 tracks are Lightnin' Hopkins and Big Joe Williams. Tremendous enthusiasm and great teamwork! Sonny was born in my adopted hometown. Probably the best product that this city produced.

Average customer rating:

One of two things will happen
Bob Engemann, Jim Pike and Tony Butala are magic
A pretty solid collection of the best songs of the Lettermen
Absolutely great!
SOMETHING TO SOOTHE THE EARS

Absolutely The Best
The Lettermen
Manufacturer: Fuel 2000
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Lettermen - All-Time Greatest Hits
When I Fall in Love
Memories: The Very Best of the Lettermen
Song for Young Love / Once Upon a Time
Capitol Collectors Series

ASIN: B0001DMVSK
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Tracks:

When I Fall in Love
Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Hurt So Bad
Way You Look Tonight
Theme from "A Summer Place"
Come Back, Silly Girl
Put Your Head on My Shoulder
Love Is a Many Splendored Thing
Smile
Sealed With a Kiss
Yesterday
Sherry Don't Go
If Ever I Would Leave You
Silly Boy (She Doesn't Love You)
She Cried

Customer Reviews:

One of two things will happen.......2007-07-11

When you listen to the Lettermen, one of two things will happen.

1) You will gush with the warm and fuzzies and sigh with baby boom nostalgia, or

2) You will gag because it is so white-bread bland and Pat Boonishly sweet. The absolute flipside of James Brown and the Famous Flames.

I found myself doing a little of both. As a small child, I warmly recall hearing their version of "Going Out of My Head" around 1968-69 in the car radio on the way to kindergarten. This tune stayed in my mind for years. After checking this CD from the library after not hearing it for almost 40 years, I had to say WHOA! Not the kind of stuff you'd hear at the Apollo Theater.

These guys ranged from the sweet to the incredibly corny and bland. Sort of like the bland sixties pop parody "Dave and the Sweethearts" from the movie Dreamgirls. I still liked "Going Out of My head" as much as I did as a child, and the version of "Summer's Place" brought a smile to my face. But the version of "Smile" and most of the other covers reminded me of something one of Lawrence Welk's groups would sing while you're waiting for the dentist.

But when they were good, they were good and I can see why people liked the Lettermen. Although they're largely forgotten by later generations, they were rather soothing during a time of so much shrillness.

Bob Engemann, Jim Pike and Tony Butala are magic.......2007-05-03

The beautiful voices of the singing trio, The Lettermen The original singers: Tony Butala, Jim Pike and Bob Engemann's beautiful harmony and love songs are timeless.

A pretty solid collection of the best songs of the Lettermen.......2006-06-09

With the Beatles, the Supremes, and other Rock and Rhythm & Blues artists taking over the airwaves in the Sixties, older listeners latched onto the Lettermen as a way of bridging the gap between Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones. The Lettermen started off in the early 1960s when Jim Pike and Bob Engemann, two Brigham Young University students, hooked up with lounge singer Tony Butala, and ended up singing with Capitol Records. In 1968 Gary Pike would replace Engemann, and with their album sales and concert tours the Lettermen became one of the most successful groups for adult listeners. This can be seen in how their songs always did considerably better with adults than with general audiences. For example, "When I Fall in Love" was #7 on the Billboard Pop Charts, but made it to #1 in the Adult Contemporary Category, and you have almost the same thing with "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You," which went #7 and #2 respectively. Needless to say, the Lettermen always did better on the Adult Contemporary chart.

"Absolutely the Best" does include most, but not all of the songs that cracked the Top 50 on the Billboard charts, most notably "Hurt So Bad" (#12/#2), "Way You Look Tonight" (#13/#3), "Theme from 'A Summer Place'" (#16/#2), "Come Back, Silly Girl" (#17/#3), and "She Cried" (#73/#6). There are also a few songs that made the Pop Charts but apparently did not chart with the Adult Contemporary crowd, with "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" (#44), "Sherry Don't Go" (#52), and "Silly Boy (She Doesn't Love You)" (#81), just to show the range of the group I suppose. There is also a nice collection of cover songs by the Lettermen, that gives some indication of how they made modern music palatable for older listeners while also doing songs from movies and Broadway, with "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing," "Smile," "Sealed With a Kiss," "Yesterday," and "If Ever I Would Leave You." There is something to be said for a group that can do songs by both Charlie Chaplin and Lennon & McCartney.

However, from the Adult Contemporary perspective there are a couple of key songs missing, namely "Traces/Memories" (#47/#3) and "Everything Is Good About You" (#74/#6), so this 2004 collection is not perfect in that regard and there are only 15 tracks. So while you can certainly find collections that are more comprehensive, "Absolutely the Best" does cover the basics and everything a Lettermen fan would consider essentially is here on this CD. So this collection should be sufficient for most casual fans, whereas the true devotees will have all of these songs on their original albums.

Absolutely great!.......2006-03-23

Excellent stereo sound quality due to the remastering. Definitely some of the best songs performed by The Lettermen. You can't beat their harmony on these beautiful songs.

SOMETHING TO SOOTHE THE EARS.......2005-10-06

IT WAS LOVELY TO JUST SIT AND LISTEN TO SOMETHING GENTLE INSTEAD OF THE THUMPING SO CALLED MUSIC WE HAVE THRUST UPON US TODAY. I SPEND MOST OF MY TV VIEWING WITH THE REMOTE READY TO MUTE NOISY COMMERCIALS, AS IT SEEMS SO MANY PRODUCERS SEEM TO THINK WE ARE ALL DEAF.
THIS ALBUM I FOUND QUITE RESTFUL, AND ALSO KNOWING MOST OF THE SONGS ON IT, I SANG ALONG WITH IT IN THE CAR.
WE ALL NEED JUST A LITTLE BIT OF PEACE THESE DAYS,I THINK

Average customer rating:

Better
Great, but incomplete

Absolutely the Best
Jay & the Americans
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Come a Little Bit Closer: The Best of Jay & the Americans

ASIN: B00008QSBI
Release Date: 2003-04-01

Tracks:

She Could
Only In America
Come A Little Bit Closer
Walkin' In The Rain
Cara Mia
Let's Lock The Door (And Throw Away The Key)
This Magic Moment
Sunday And Me
Come Dance With Me
Crying
Why Can't You Bring Me Home
Yes
Do I Love You?
Think Of The Good Times

Customer Reviews:

Better.......2003-10-04

I bought this CD mainly to get the remastered "Only in America", which is horrible sounding on other J&TA CDs. While this remaster is better, it isn't as pristine as I expected. I suspect that there just isn't a good master recording available.

The other familiar songs are wonderful. The not-so-familiar ones are forgetable, and I found myself skipping them soon after they started.

Still, for the price and for the 8 or 9 familiar songs on this recording, it's worth owning if you are fussy about audio quality.

Great, but incomplete.......2003-04-24

Excellent remastering! Walkin' In The Rain sounds like never before! But "Crying", leave that to Roy Orbison! How can any compilation, claiming to be "Absolutely The Best" as this one does, leave a top 20 song like "Some Enchanted Evening" off the disc?????????

Music:

Music