Their Greatest Hits, Some Great Non-Hits, and a Few Misses
Dave Lair | Newbury, OH United States | 10/12/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you value the unique, harmonious, "Folk-Rock" sound that made the Association one of the best groups of their era, this album should be part of your collection. Their greatest hits are all here, along with many of the others that, while not hits in their own right, made listening to their albums a pleasure. The #1 pop song of 1966, "Cherish", is here, along with their debut hit, "Along Comes Mary". 1967 hits "Windy" and "Never My Love" are here too, along with "Goodbye Columbus", an upbeat movie title song from a largely-forgotten "The Graduate" clone, starring the dynamic Richard Benjamin. There are several beautiful tunes that never made it to the charts, including "Birthday Morning", "Rose Petals, Incense and a Kitten", and "No Fair At All". Other great songs of note include "One Too Many Mornings" (although the version on their "Live" album is better), the hit "Everything That Touches You", and the great selection from one of their later albums, "P.F. Sloan". The only negative aspects to this album are (1) A failure to present the music in chronological order, which I feel would have better showcased the growth and change the group made over time, and (2) Inclusion of a couple of songs that not only weren't hits, but don't seem to be particularly distinctive in any other sense, either. It's too bad that this great album had to end on a song ("Dreamer") that I don't recall seeing on any of their albums, and without anything special to recommend it. There were many other great songs performed by the group that would have been a better choice. The Association's music is timeless, and this is a great collection - I highly recommend it to those who share my enthusiasm for quality, melodic music!"
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1