Search - Danny O'Keefe :: Danny O'Keefe Classics

Some Gotta Win, Some Gotta Lose...

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 12/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Danny O'Keefe is yet another great singer-songwriter who never got the airplay and recognition he deserved. Sure, some of his songs have been covered and made famous by others but most who have heard them have no idea who it is that wrote them. Maybe fame will yet come, it took Willie Nelson an awful long time to move beyond his cult status as an outlaw cowboy to his current status as one of the grand old men of country.

Its a good thing that Danny O'Keefe Classics has been issued, because many of his CDs are out of print and this gives fans old and new an opportunity to get some of his career highlights encapsulated on a single disc. Oh yes, one reviewer criticised the disc for some of what was left out when it should be praised for what it included. There are a few O'Keefe songs I wish were here too, but its impossible to include everything that someone might want. If that were done, you'd end up with a box set.

Danny O'Keefe Classics offers the listener samples of each stage of his career from his debut album through the end of the 1970s. Unfortunately it includes nothing from The Day to Day or from his most recent works. Too bad, but that's the way it worked out. However, there is still much to like. And as you listen through the CD, you will hear that O'Keefe is a man who handles a wide range of styles with aplomb. And perhaps that is exactly why O'Keefe has never gotten the recognition he deserves. It is impossible to pigeonhole his music. As the man sings, "Some gotta win, some gotta lose..."

I confess to never having heard him until "Good Time Charlie..." became a hit. I liked the song and I liked his distinctive voice, but I probably would have forgotten all about him if not for the enthusiastic efforts of a couple of old high school buddies to promote his latest whenever I came to see them. So eventually I became a confirmed fan too.

Besides "Good Time Charlie...", my favorites here are Steel Guitar, The Road (most famously covered by Jackson Browne on "Running on Empty"), Magdalena, Mad Ruth/The Babe, the tribute song So Long Harry Truman, the romantic You Look Just Like A Girl Again (superbly covered by the Mark Almond Band on "Other People's Rooms"), the talkin' blues style of the hilarious Jimmy Hoffa Mem. Bldg. Blues, Keep Your Back To The Wall, and The Street. There's a touch of country, a touch of rock, a touch of disco, and a touch of jazz. In other words, there should be enough here to please just about anyone.

I'm not generally a big fan of compilations because the songs chosen often fragment a unified work. But I make a rare exception in this case since O'Keefe's albums have never really followed a particular theme. If you are looking at O'Keefe CDs because you know and like "Good Time Charlie..." then I highly recommend you get this so you can see what the wider public has been missing."

Long awaited songs from American Roulette

Jon Holcombe | 04/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many of Danny O'keefe's best songs are on this CD, and it is a great primer to his music.



But the overwhelming reason to buy Classics are the 5 songs from his great, (now available on CD!) American Roulette album: "Runaway", "Islands", You Look Just Like A Girl Again", "All My Friends", and "Just Jones".



These five songs are stone classics, and so are many of the other great songs here, such as "Road", "Good Time Charlie...", "Angel Spread Your Wings", etc.



The one missing element is the title song on "American Roulette", a seven minute existential essay on lost love, the meaning of life, America, and the delicate balance between love and the search for power. I get chills thinking about the beautiful words and melody of this great, lost classic.



I highly recommend this CD to anyone who likes Neil Young, John Sebastian, early Jackson Browne, and Jim Croce.



Danny O'keefe is the great unknown singer songwriter of his era."

Very nice, but lacking, collection...

Justin R. Juelich | BALDWIN, WISCONSIN United States | 11/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Danny O'Keefe has been a favorite of mine from the time I heard "Goodtime Charley..."-and that was the OTHER version, with the flute! The second version, which is the widely heard hit version, was even better. His songs have been covered by the likes of Leon Russell, Dwight Yoakum, Linda Ronstadt and Leo Sayer, to name a few, but for some reason Danny boy just never got to be as 'big' as his work merited. Nonetheless, he put out a string of classic albums, ("Breezy Stories", "American Roulette" and "So Long Harry Truman".) These were chock full of hits-that other artists did, like "Magdelana", "Angel Spread Your Wings", "Quits" and "It's Been A Good Day." Danny's unique voice is another thing I like about him, and the very sexy, jazzy tone of "You Look Just Like A Girl Again", will have you hitting replay while dimming the lights and cooing for your sweetums. Again, (Like on so many collections), many songs are missing that showcase Danny's voice and great songwriting talents.



Two great bluesy, roadhouse workouts, "Bottle Up And Go" and "Farewell To Storyville", (which also incorporates a breathy New Orleans Jazz sound), should have been included. Some good ol' rock 'n' roll with, "Come Dance With Me", "If You Can't Boogie Woogie", "3:10 Smokey Thursday" and "Hardtimes." Classic O'Keefe with, "The Drover", "Canary", "Catfish" (Listen to the guitar playing on this great song), the parody of, "The Hereafter"("if you ain't hereafter, what I'm hereafter...) and the haunting, "Falsetto Goodbye." I would also include "The Sidewalk Symphony" from "The Day To Day" (or "Redux"). This song is classic O'Keefe, and sounds like it could of been on the "Breezy Stories" sessions. These all merit a place on this package as would some alt versions, rare tracks or previously unreleased tracks. Danny's a gem, and I hope we get to see the rest of his catalog out on cd someday soon...'oh these tender moments, that we hang our dreams upon...'"