Walter O. Koenig | San Diego, California, USA | 01/31/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm glad to see that a new "Best of" CD has finally come out. It's about time. Every song is excellent, though some of the choices are strange (why "Arroyo"?), but that's A&M Records for you. It would make perfect sense to me if A&M released the first three Albums in their entirety ("Ozark Mountain Daredevils", "It'll Shine when it Shines" and "Car over the Lake Album"), along with all of the original art and lyrics, which were well-done and quite humorous. Every song on these albums is great, and it would certainly show off the incredible talent of the original line-up of the group. I bought all these records when they first came out, and at the time (in college) we were enthusiastic. The songs are almost all easy to play too. At the time A&M was taking better care of the "Daredevils" and they had sheet music and all kinds of neat stuff, some of which I still have. The real treat was seeing these guys in concert. I saw them several times, but I remember in the Youngstown, Ohio, Agora Ballroom, circa 1979, they put on a show that was unforgettable. They played for hours, accepting requests that the audience yelled up, hamming it up ("Chicken Train"), telling jokes and just having a real good time with all of us. This music is timeless and versatile, the playing is great, the lyrics are thoughtful and the singing of Randle Chowning, Larry Lee, Steve Cash and Supe du Jour, gives this Band a scope and breadth which no other Band had at the time and certainly no other has now. Hope lots of you buy this, so A&M finally gets the message to release that boxed set we're all waiting for. Fresh Country."
Essentially the "It'll Shine When It Shines" Album
Galactic Kegger | Cedar Hill, Texas United States | 04/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been looking for the album "It'll Shine When It Shines" on CD since CDs first came out (own it on LP and cassette) without luck... until now. Time Warp is essentially all the best tracks from "It'll Shine When It Shines," (including the original studio title track) plus their 'other best' stuff like "If You Wanna Get To Heaven", "Chicken Train" and "Cobblestone Mountain." This IS the definitive Ozark Mountain Daredevils 'best of' compilation!"
A New Era!
Plain Truth | Australia | 12/05/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After months of speculation the new 'Best Of' compilation CD by the 'Ozark Mountain Daredevils' has finally been released. Although it does feature many tracks from the original A&M Records 'Best Of' CD released a few years ago, Universal Music's new CD does feature a few extra songs that have never before been available on CD, except on a few long out of print import items, that even today are still commanding high prices on the internet auction sites. Fans will note that the new Cd includes seven tracks from the extremley popular 1975 release 'It'll Shine When It Shines'. Only four songs short of the complete 'It'll Shine' album, fans will have to be content with this selection until such time as the whole 1975 Album is reproduced again on CD. Long time 'Daredevils' followers will note that 'It'll Shine' was released in Japan several years ago, but is now a sought after collectors item. All the tracks listed are lifted from the bands early albums spanning from their first album, the self titled 1973 release, up to one track from 1977's 'Don't Look Down'. This is a little disapointing as 'Don't Look Down' featured some excellent tracks, unfortunately thanks to the 'Disco' era, the album was soon forgotten. The 1980 CBS self titled album as well as 1987's 'Heart Of The Country' (Same tracks as 'Modern History')also missed out on any mention on the new CD, with the record company obviously wanting to stick with the 'tried and true' songs that made the 'Daredevils' one of the 70's most popular bands. It may also be that Universal Music only has access to the A&M released albums. Well here's your chance to make a difference.. It is quite possible that with good sales of this CD, Universal Music may be influenced enough to re-release some, or all, of the old albums on CD. With the inclusion of a handfull of songs not available on any previous 'Best Of' CD's, fans may be tempted to buy a revised copy to compliment their exsisting collection. Universal Music has also included an excellent little 'tempter' with the inclusion of the song 'Time Warp'.! The Verdict - Die hard fans, like myself, will snap this new CD up..new fans will enjoy it and probably want to pursue the A&M 'Best of' as well. 'Time Warp' includes some great tracks from 'The Car Over The Lake' and 'Men From Earth' albums, but the real selling point will be the seven tracks from 'It'll Shine'.. For all those people who have ever wanted the older stuff re-released on CD..here's you chance..it's time to put your money where your mouth is! BUY THIS CD & MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"
A Long Overdue Release
Joseph Bennett | Royal Oak, MI USA | 12/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Long time fans of this band have been anxiously awaiting the cd release of some of their earlier material. While this "best of" release is gratifying, we hope it will lead to the release of the Daredevils catalog in its entirety. However, this cd is not just for die hard fans of the group; with any good luck it will garner new fans too. This band-- which continues to make vital music today, check out "13"-- was and is simply too good to pass up. They were comprised of multi-instrumentalist songwriters/singers of great ability and authenticity, and defied the description of a "country rock" band. While you can pick out some of their varied country, rock, bluegrass influences, they were never imitative or derivative. Quite simply, they made music unlike any other band, and they also possessed a zany sense of humor. Their biggest hit, "Jackie Blue," was not representative of their other work, so if you didn't/don't care for that song, do not be put off from this cd. Also, if you want a real treat, their bassist-- Supe du Jour a/k/a Mike Granda-- is currently active and making great rock on his own. Check out his web site for details."
Juicereview
Scott M. Shriver | 12/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"one of a kind band with a one of a kind sound. I bought this disc with no knowledge of the band whatsoever, and it has turned out to be one of the best decisions i have ever made, when it comes to music."