Ah ! The Circles album released "finally" or is it ?
De Carboned | Nelson New Zealand | 11/20/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was overjoyed to see the upcoming release of the double cd, and whilst it sounds pretty good it is also very disapointing. I grew up in the era where the New Seekers were up there with the best, I had every vinyl they released, so imagine my horror when I realised that this release, well the circles side of it anyway, was far removed to what I was expecting. The track listing differs somewhat form my vinyl album. Tracks on my album are CIRCLES, I SAW THE LIGHT, DAY BY DAY, MORNING HAS BROKEN, IDAHO, UNWITHERED ROSE, HOLY ROLLING, BEAUTIFUL, BLOWIN IN THE WIND, SONG SUNG BLUE, DON'T WANT TO LOOSE YOU, REAP WHAT YOU SAY, I'LL BE YOUR SONG
Ok ok so my copy is obiously the original U.K. release and this one is probably how it was released in the U.S. but as Amazon failed to publish the track list, I didn't get the chance to choose whether I wanted the altered version or not.. Don't get me wrong, it's still worth a spin but would have been SO much better had the missing tracks been included as bonus tracks, or even released like a UK/US Circles release (like the Beatles did with their UK/US version of the HELP album)"
Melodious Pop
Phil (San Diego, CA) | San Diego, CA | 06/26/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Over time pop music has become more coarse and aggressive, so it's not surprising that the New Seekers get slagged for their "lite rock" sound as it was called in those days. Really, it wasn't rock so much as pop with a singer-songwriter influence. When I recently played this album's predecessor for the first time in ages, "We'd Like To Teach The World To Sing", I was surprised at its sound. Contrary to the aerosol cheese image they've been assigned by the rock press, many of its songs had a folkie feel, or pop with a rock tinge to them. In the absence of a reissued CD for this followup, "Circles", mp3 downloads are more than welcome. These are sounding much brighter and cleaner than my crispy, crackly dubs from vinyl.
The "songs for your mum" moments included in previous albums do start to gain ascendancy with this release, and from here on out the group seemed to reposition themselves squarely into what was to be called "Adult Contemporary". But "Circles" still retains a touch of the roughage that reminds one of a good coffeehouse band. If you're looking to cherry-pick songs to download, start with "Mystic Queen". Perhaps it does not appear on any retrospective CDs because it is uncharacteristic of how the group is remembered.
CD compilations all include the same three songs, "Beg, Steal, or Borrow", Neil Young's "Dance Dance Dance", and the title track written by Harry Chapin. The first two are classic radio-friendly pop circa early 70s, the third is a singer-songwriter standard.
The 2CD compilation "Songbook" adds "The World I Wish For You" which was, for a brief time, Cook-Greenaway's next Coke commercial. Personally I have no problem with the song being used that way; it's not like this is the Beatles' "Revolution" or one of Dylan's early numbers. Probably would have been a hit if the group wasn't being stigmatized by a sanctimonious music press. Frankly, it was my first download from this album, it encapsulates 1972 pop very well.
Some of this album I don't care for as I did in my early teens, and several of the covers I have by the original artists or those who made the hit recording. I was content to download "Mystic Queen", "The World I Wish For You", "Beg, Steal, or Borrow", and "Dance Dance Dance". Those who relish the adult contemporary direction that the group increasingly took may want to dig deeper or go for the whole album."
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1