Let's call it what it really is...
Christopher Aug | Southern California, USA | 02/06/2003
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This is really "TO" (minus the "B", the real Bachman...sorry Robbie and Tim). Not that the CD is that bad, let's just be upfront with what it really is! These are all either re-recordings of some of BTOs greatest hits, or some of the newer stuff recorded and release sans Randy Bachman (the true force behind BTO). Must have something to do with their fights over music publication rights I guess. Now onto the music...The C.F. (Fred) Turner stuff is nothing short of phenomenal. He has re-worked some of his classic BTO tunes...particularly well with "Blue Collar". Some re-works are nicely mixed and give the songs a fresh new sound or even a new attitude. Some of them are note for note replicas, but good ones at that.Here's where I have a problem...please leave Randy's songs ("Aint Seen Nothing Yet" and "Hey You") for Randy! "Hey You" is Randy making his post-Guess Who break-up statement to Burton Cummings...why is it even here in the first place? This is a total disgrace having this "Randy-wanna-be" guy singing Randy's songs. It totally ruins them and ruins to me what could otherwise be a very good CD. Now don't get me wrong...I am not blinded by Randy either...he does the same thing on his "Songbook" collection, trying to replace the vocals of CF and Burton. Although his "Burton" sound-alike is actually VERY good, I don't think ANYONE could possibly imitate the gruffy vocal so C.F. Turner and get away with it successfully!I'm looking forward to more in this continuing BTO-Bachman-Guess Who saga..."
One of BTO's top albums
AG124 | 02/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Before writing anything further, it is important to note that this is NOT a 'Greatest Hits' compilation, nor is it really meant to be. This is often considered to be the group's 10th studio albums, originally recorded by the label CMC as Trial By Fire: Greatest & Latest in 1996. This reissue, released by Disky, drops Trial By Fire from the title, which apparently leads people to believe that this is a compilation. If you are looking to purchase a compilation of BTO's 1970s hits, then this is not the CD for you, as the 1970s titled included here are remakes (which the original record label apparently insisted on recording).
The ten remakes are actually quite good in my opinion, although most are not quite as good as the originals. Blue Collar, Hold Back The Water, and Gimme Your Money Please are particularly good, although many BTO fans have complained about the last of those three. RODTH, FWD, and TILAM do not seem to have the same driving force of the originals but are still good (FWD also includes part of Free Wheelin', which I liked). Not Fragile is even heavier than the original, if that is possible. The two tracks on the album that were originally sung by Randy Bachman (Hey You and YASNY) are a little difficult to get used to for some - I really liked the new version of Hey You but wasn't struck on the YASNY remake. The vocalist (Randy Murray, the newest member of the band) is very good though, and I would have liked to have heard him try some more songs.
The five new songs are the best points of this album, especially the two that were written by the group members. All five are sung by C.F. Turner. Trial By Fire and Nothin' Comes Easy are now two of my favorite BTO songs of all time (Nothin' Comes Easy is my second favorite of them all) - both sound very modern and energetic (much more so than anything on their last four albums, although I liked those too). House of the Rising Sun (a cover of the Animals' hit) was released as a single in Europe I believe, and is the best version of the song I have ever heard - it sounds just as good in concert too. Testify and A Sense of Danger are not quite as good as the other three - Testify is more lightweight pop and has unusual lyrics for a BTO song, and A Sense of Danger is more retro boogie (reminds me of Texas Cannonball by Union for some reason). Both are still pretty good though.
Anyway, if you're looking for a collection of BTO's classic hits, this is not the CD to buy. But if you're looking to expand your BTO collection with something new and have enjoyed some of their earlier work, you just may enjoy this album for what it is."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1