Search - Seals & Crofts :: Greatest Hits

Michael M. from FORT WAYNE, IN
Reviewed on 8/19/2009...

As good as they were, the songs don't really stand up very well with time.

0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

So Typical Of The Major Distributors

R. Balsover | 07/17/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Back at the dawn of the CD age it was common practice for the major distributors like Warner, Universal, Sony/BMG, etc., to release digital versions of earlier vinyl LPs, without adding anything in the way of bonus tracks or liner notes. Sort of a "here it is - take it or leave it" attitude. And that worked for the first few years when CDs were still a novelty, and there was little or no competition from distributors abroad.



But with the advent of Ace of London, Bear Family of Germany, and others of that ilk, where the copyright laws are considerably different in terms of their length, we started to see 20- to 30-track volumes, most with excellent sound reproduction and pages and pages of informative notes and discographies. In the meantime, the suits at places like Warner, even as they whined and cried about this "unfair" practice, continued to toss out 10- to 12-track releases as before. As is the case with this one.



As another reviewer so accurately points out, the stupid thing was obsolete when it first came out in 1975 in vinyl, and it hasn't been improved one iota in its two CD releases. It really burns me up when the majors toss out albums entitled "greatest hits" and "best hits of ..." and then proceed to include cuts that did not fit that definition in any way, shape or form.



At the time of the vinyl release, supposedly covering their "greatest hits" to that point, they left out Unborn Child which, although a minor # 66 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in March/April 1974, was still a hit. Unlike When I Meet Them and Ruby Jean And Billie Lee which weren't even the B-sides of any of their 14 hit singles. Another track, East Of Ginger Trees, was the uncharted B-side to two hits: Summer Breeze (# 4 Adult Contemporary (AC) and # 6 Hot 100 in the fall of 1972) and My Fair Share (# 11 AC/# 28 Hot 100 in the fall of 1977).



While I can perhaps understand the initial CD release in the late 1980's simply re-issuing the 1975 LP, this latest one should have included that missing hit from 1974, AND the six they added from 1976 to 1980: Get Closer - # 2 AC/# 6 Hot 100 in May 1976 billed to Seals & Crofts (Featuring Carolyn Willis); Baby, I'll Give It To You - # 14 AC/# 68 Hot 100 in December 1976; Goodbye Old Buddies - # 10 AC in April 1977; My Fair Share - # 11 AC/# 28 Hot 100 in the fall of 1977 from the film One On One; You're The Love - # 2 AC/# 18 Hot 100 in May 1978; and First Love - # 37 AC in October 1980. All for the Warner label.



It's interesting to note that, with one exception (that missing Unborn Child which scored only on the Hot 100), every one of their hits scored considerably higher on the Adult Contemporary, or Easy Listening charts, introduced in late 1961.



If you're wondering about liner notes, be advised that this one contains the lyrics to the 10 tracks and one page of background information consisting of four brief paragraphs - author unknown. Come into the 21st Century, Warner."

Great stuff

R. Balsover | SF, California | 12/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the album years ago but lost it once I upgraded to CD, it is nice to have a copy of this once again."