Customer Reviews

14 Greatest Hits

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(6)

 

 

These are NOT the original hit recordings. Don't waste your time.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! The songs sounded like they were recorded by a cover band inside a trailor. If these were the same guys, they should be embarrassed! The whole recording sounded like a cocktail lounge performance. A total waste of time at any price.

I don't have this CD. I bought the cassette tape at a used CD store for $2.00. Didn't know it was re-recorded until I played it, but I was still happy to have it, cos I didn't have any thing else by The Grass Roots. You can't find their music round this town. It sounded 'okay' but my favourite song "Bella Linda" definitely gave much to be desired from the original. If you think, this compilation was re-recorded in 1986 or 1987, & the guys still sounded pretty good. But, if you really want the originals, I wouldn't buy this CD.

What were Rob and Dennis thinking when they agreed to this nightmare?
This is easily the worst example of re-recordings in music history.
Not even a hard core Grass Roots fan could bear to get past the first song.
This is truly worse than a late night cover band in Bismarck in the club down at the end 'o the street.

I agree 100% with the previous reviewers, even at the inexpensive price of the CD, it was not worth 1 penny--I love the Grass Roots but threw it away! It sounded horrible, even on cheap computer speakers.

As has been pointed out in previous reviews, these are not the original recordings! They re-recordings passed off as the hits. The only people who might be interested in this are the hardcore Grass Roots fans who want everything they recorded. If you want the real hits, buy "All Time Greatest Hits" instead of this cheap re-recording.

I know I am almost alone in my opinion on this but I kinda like some of this. I am a huge Grass Roots fan (and short lived "roadie" for them in 1970). I have had this album since it came out on vinyl. These re-recordings are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Look at it this way if you are a real Grass Roots fan you get to hear Rob sing parts of songs that Warren sang originally and you get to hear Dennis's unmistakeable voice on songs he was never part of.

This is not a CD for a causual fan who just wants the hits presented in their original form and I agree that it should have been presented upfront as re-recordings. That being said there are some places with Dennis singing on songs recorded long before he joined the band that are really interesting. A completest Grass Roots fan has to have this as it was the last chapter of the original Grass Roots band before it officially became just Rob Grill and The Grass Roots.

These were reportedly recorded in 1978 by lead singer Rob Grill, keyboard player Dennis Provisor (who joined the group c. 1970 and was a recognizable voice on most of their later hits) and studio musicians, a couple of years before the group shut down. (In the mid-80s, Grill bought out Provisor and organized his own Grass Roots group, who at this writing are still out there performing in second-tier venues around the U.S.)

Sure, I prefer the authentic 16-song collection ("All Time Greatest Hits") on MCA, and haven't played this CD since I got the "real" one. And yes, I have problems with record companies issuing re-recordings and not admitting it on the label.

But I don't have any problem with the performances here, judged on their own. They're still great pop songs, solidly performed by Grill, Provisor and company, in renditions never jarringly far from what we heard on the radio 30 years ago.

All things being equal, there's no reason not to buy the other version instead. But if this one, like most re-recordings, is available a lot cheaper and you're not overwhelmed by detailed memories of the originals, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one.

Sadly, this compilation does not contain all original hits. I tested "Midnight Confessions" against an original recording (and my memory), and this cassette failed the test. It's possible that other songs on the cassette are original hits, but I doubt it.

FYI: I am a long time record collector (over 50 years) and sometimes deejay. The Roots were one of my favorite groups.