Three Dog Night - Complete Hit Singles (21 tracks) +Album Reviews

The SINGLE versions are the best!

T. LeBaron | NH | 12/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Three Dog Night did one very smart thing back in their time...they went back in and reworked several of their songs for the radio...sometimes strikingly different versions of the tunes from their album counterparts...but the results were always very radio-friendly, punched-up versions that took what were all great songs to begin with and catapulted them to a whole new level...the added guitar break in Joy to the World, the tighter and shorter version of Liar, the extra vocal bridge near the end of Old Fashioned Love Song, even the few seconds of added piano at the end of Eli's Coming...al very noticeable touches that made these songs just explode out of the radio back in their day. The fact that they all STILL sound fresh today speaks volumes and shows that this was not only a very excellent live band (the harmonies are STILL razor sharp, if you don't believe me, go see them when they come to your area) but a very smart band (and production team) that knew what would make these songs hits, and there's absolutely not a thing in the world wrong with that...they picked great songs from great writers and did great arrangements of them all (kind of sounds to me like someone else's master plan back in 1966 when that group got their own TV series, and their stable of writers was no B-list either). If you have the 14-track Best of Three Dog Night with the album versions of all the hits, then you need to hear this collection, compare and contrast. I guarantee you this one will be the collection that sticks in your ears!"

MONO FOR A REASON!

Vincent G. Marino | Staten Island, New York USA | 06/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, the mono versions of these songs, and I say VERSIONS not mixes because vocals and instrument tracks were often re-recorded for the singles, are great to have on one CD. The mono singles included on this disc are way superior to the LP versions, which were often rather muddy stereo mixes. Chuck Negron himself told me that, like The Beatles, the group was present and involved with the mono mixes, leaving the stereo versions to the engineers. So, these are the singles, as the group intended, and the way we heard them on AM radio in the 70's.And come on, the LP version of "The Show Must Go On" has that vomit inducing ending that NEVER ENDS! I can do without that, thank you. Don't knock MONO. Every pre-1970 Motown single is definitive in mono, as are all the Beatles and Stones singles. "Pet Sounds?" 'Nuff said!!- Vinny"

Outstanding single CD compilation

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Complete Hit Singles gives us so much of the best of Three Dog Night! I love most all of their songs; they rock well and they never disappoint me! The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is well done, too. Sure, a few may argue that a song or two more could have been here--or maybe they could have replaced a song with another one--but overall this is a rather strong single CD compilation from this great band.

"One" starts the CD with a tune you're bound to recognize if you've listened to the radio or been a fan of this group for a while. "One" shines bright as these guys rock and the electric guitars work so well! Three Dog Night sing and play this song about the loneliness that we all can feel about being single and they do it up right! "Try A Little Tenderness" has some great organ playing; and listen for "Easy To Be Hard" from Hair. "Easy To Be Hard' gets a wonderful interpretation from Three Dog Night and I'm sure you'll enjoy this melancholy song as much as I do if you haven't heard it before. "Eli's Coming" features great harmonizing and more great electric guitar for this rockin' tune; and there's also "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)" with its funky `70s beat and the music is excellent to go along with their vocals. "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)" is easily a major highlight of this album.

"Joy To The World" is an excellent adaptation of a rather old set of words and music; this rock and roll version of "Joy To The World" ahs always stunned me with its beauty; and Three Dog Night does this with loads of positive energy that infuses this tune with a celebratory feeling about the joys of life and peace. In addition, Three Dog Night does a great job on "An Old Fashioned Love Song." The keyboard work includes an organ and they harmonize to perfection--and beyond! The music that goes with their singing fits in perfectly without ever drowning out the band's singing; "An Old Fashioned Love Song" is arguably one of their greatest hits ever. "Never Been To Spain" glows just as bright as Three Dog Night deliver this tune with a rock flavor mixed in with a twist of country--and man, how this does work well! Great!

"Black And White" encourages peace between white people and black people--and everyone else of other races and origins, too. "Black And White" is a strong number with the percussion marking the beat; and the melody is both catchy and quite memorable. "Shambala" explores a place on this planet where everyone treats everyone else with kindness and respect--inner peace and peace amongst men are once again the theme of this tune by Three Dog Night. "The Show Must Go On" is another stunning ballad that I could never forget--and the sadness belies the somewhat upbeat rock music that goes with the lyrics.

"Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)" has a fine arrangement that Three Dog Night perform with much energy; and the album ends so well with Three Dog Night performing "'Til The World Ends." "'Til The World Ends" is a very sensitive ballad and it makes a fine ending for this CD.

Three Dog Night may not have stayed together forever; but while they worked together they turned out some of the greatest rock songs ever! This is a must-have for their fans and it's a stunning starter CD for people just discovering the greatest of Three Dog Night.

"

Complete collection of hits from the best band of the early

calvinnme | 06/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After the break-up of the Beatles and before the disco era, no act ruled the airwaves of FM radio quite like Three Dog Night. I remember while growing up in Dallas that they were commonly referred to as "America's Number One Super Group", and when they played the Cotton Bowl there in 1971, it actually was the top story on the ten o'clock local news! Thus, it does seem odd then that younger people often are not at all acquainted with their work, and in many cases have never even heard of them.

This collection features all 21 of their top 40 hits, eleven of which made the top ten. The group's accomplishments seem especially notable when you consider that Chuck Negron, Danny Hutton, and Cory Wells were talented vocalists that had a penchant for parlaying the work of successful songwriters into huge hits for themselves. This ran counter to the trend of that era that began with the Beatles in which successful ensembles usually wrote and performed their own works and saw songwriting as what distinguished them as artists rather than "just" performers. However, you can't argue with the outcome, whether it be Wells' gritty "Eli's Coming", Hutton's echo chamber-like "Liar", Negron's anguished tenor performance of "One", or when they shared the vocals equally in performances such as 1970's "Out in the Country", one of the original ballads of the environmentalist movement. On top of producing quality work, the trio managed to consistently come up with hits that were quite distinct from one another, thus preventing themselves from being pidgeon-holed into one particular sound.

I think that you'll find that this CD has the distinction of all 21 tracks being quality material. Although it will take you back to the early 70's, Three Dog Night's music does not seem "timestamped" into that era, versus songs from the disco years such as "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward that make us laugh at ourselves for having ever even listened to such stuff.

If you enjoy this CD you might want to also check out the remastered original recording CD's of Three Dog Night's albums "Naturally", "Harmony", and "Seven Separate Fools" where you'll experience Three Dog Night's tradition of putting out albums that were always full of good music rather than what you often see from many of today's artists - 1 or 2 good tracks and the rest mediocre.

"

What's a little mono?

kevin m antonio | rumford, ri United States | 05/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have both 'The Best of 3 Dog Night' and this new collection. Whilst I'm not thrilled that Geffen did not specify which tracks are in mono, it really doesn't matter. The sound is excellent. I listened to both versions of "Joy to the World" and the results are... stereo version, hissy; mono version, no hiss and more propulsive. People tend to get their shorts in a bind when they hear the word "mono", but when it's done right (such as Phil Spector's productions and Motown 45s), the results can be explosive. And that's what the mono versions on this set are. You have to remember back in the 70s lots of music was still being played on AM and singles were still being recorded in mono for the format.
Erick Labson should be given some sort of award for his remastering job. He brings such a warmth to the sound and pulls out insturments you never knew were there; just listen to "Liar". It's a revelation. We've heard these songs for years, but as I played the disc I felt like I was listening to them for the first time.
What we have here is the definitive one disc compilation of 3 Dog Night. The songs are listed in chronological order, there's a nice essay, and ample credits. Lyrics would have been nice, but hey, we all know the words.
So, don't be afraid of a little mono. Toss out your copy of 'The Best of 3 Dog Night' and pick up this one. You will be glad you did."

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