Search - Sons of Champlin :: Welcome to the Dance

WTTD

patocaster | San Jose, CA United States | 07/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back in the early seventies, I was a full-fledged Sons Hound. The Sons of Champlin may have been the best kept secret in the music industry but my biased view was (and still is) that the Sons were the best musicians and produced the best music. My opinion, which I shared with many friends, was reinforced by repeated concert and club dates that featured consistently great performances. Unlike many of their contemporaries, the Sons never had an off night! Their positive energy and life-affirming lyrical themes brought me back to see them again and again. After their breakup and especially now that they have reunited for some limited engagements, they have remained a source of musical and spiritual inspiration. My anticipation for the original release of Welcome to the Dance back in 1973 was recently matched by the re-release of this new CD. Old Sons fans will be ecstatic with this new package. New fans might do well to purchase the Sons' "LIVE" CD before getting WTTD, but I think this collection of songs translates well to the twenty-first century. Evangeline/Acadia, the UK company that is re-issuing WTTD, did a decent job repackaging this recording for CD. The new liner notes give a fairly in-depth history lesson detailing the Sons' star-crossed misfortunes. Still, it is the music that shines through, from the opening groove of "Lightnin'" with its trademark Hammond B-3 fills, to the "Welcome to the Dance" suite. They are all great songs!"

One of their best

Mark Hazell | Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada | 09/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the liner notes point out it's something of a miracle that this album ever got made, but it did and it's wonderful to finally have it available on CD. Welcome to the Dance introduces one of the finest rhythm sections in all of rock and r&b -- James Preston on drums and David Shallock on base -- and with their fine playing the Sons never sounded tighter. The album features several of Bill Champlin's best compositions. For Joy, Right On, and The Swim all remain in the Sons' set lists to this day, albeit in ever evolving forms (a new live CD is due to be released soon and it will include all three of these tunes -- see sonsofchamplin.com for info on the release). This album has stood the test of time -- in fact, I think it stands up better than any of their old albums. Nothing beats seeing the band live, but if you can't make it to one of their shows listening to Welcome to the Dance is a pretty good substitute."

One Of The Best Groups Of All Time

Edward H. David | Washington DC | 01/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first owned this album as vinyl, along with about 5 more of their albums. I was thrilled to discover they have been re-releasing their material on CD. The Sons of Champlin (later "The Sons") were, and continue to be, one of the most creative groups in rock. Their concepts, compositions, musicianship and execution have always been exceptional. Once you buy one of their albums, you'll probably want to explore them more."