Customer Reviews

40 Hits: 1970-1974

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There should be a law that record companies must inform you on their CD's that some of these songs have been edited. This collection would be 5 stars if not for the fact that some of these classic tunes have been shortened so they could get all of these songs on 2 disks. "American Pie" is only 4:07 minutes. The original that was released is just over 8:00 minutes. It is one of the all time classics and should never be tampered with. I am not sure how many other songs have been edited. However if you don't mind that and want a bunch of great tunes then go for it. I for one only want complete unedited classic music. Be careful when you buy these various artist CD's if they are not from a well known company like Time Life. Sometimes they don't even have the original artist. Imagine buying one of these CD's and finding "Jumpin Jack Flash" performed by "The Monkeys"? Or even by a completely unknown act. Anyway there should be a law for warning labels.

There should be a law that record companies must inform you on their CD's that some of these songs have been edited. This collection would be 5 stars if not for the fact that some of these classic tunes have been shortened so they could get all of these songs on 2 disks. "American Pie" is only 4:07 minutes. The original that was released is just over 8:00 minutes. It is one of the all time classics and should never be tampered with. I am not sure how many other songs have been edited. However if you don't mind that and want a bunch of great tunes then go for it. I for one only want complete unedited classic music. Be careful when you buy these various artist CD's if they are not from a well known company like Time Life. Sometimes they don't even have the original artist. Imagine buying one of these CD's and finding "Jumpin Jack Flash" performed by "The Monkeys"? Or even by a completely unknown act. Anyway there should be a law for warning labels.

The attraction here would be that "40 Hits of 1970-1974" represents the music I was listening to on the radio when I was in high school during those same years. The only problem is that of these 40 tracks there were only two-dozen that I recognized from way back then. I can understand working in a couple of tracks that I might have missed, but there are enough here for an entire CD of songs that I can live without. Then I figured out what the deal was because one of the tracks if "Streets Of London" by Ralph McTell. This was a song that was a giant hit in the U.K. and in Europe, and that is when the scales were lifted from my eyes and I remembered that this was an imported CD.

There are some mega-hits from this side of the pond, with Don McLean's "American Pie" and the Guess Who's "American Woman," but there is also a nice mix of more ecclectic hits: the album starts with Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" and Hot Butter's "Popcorn." Then we jump to Mud's "Dyna-mite" and Suzi Quatro's "Can the Can" and it is clear we will be wondering far a field to pull these forty tracks together. The question is can you find some of the songs that define that period of your life? With songs like "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," "Kung Fu Fighting," "Rock and Roll (Part 1)" and "Hocus Pocus," the answer would be "yes," but there would be a "but" because of songs like "Rubber Bullets," "Sugar Me," and "Tiger Feet" (who knew 10CC had another "hit").

I did not find any of new songs to be really great songs, but that is mainly because I already learned about "Streets of London" earlier this year as I checking out English folk songs from the 1960s and 1970s. Still, most of the imported stuff is decent and I might actually try to track down more of Mud. "40 Hits of 1970-1974" is still of interest to those looking to expand their musical knowledge from that particular period, but the nostalgic value will be a lot more potent on the other side of the Atlantic.

I thought this would be the greatest CD ever. All the songs I heard growing up in England. I was right and I was wrong. All the songs are there, but the production quality on the British cuts is abysmal. From Suzi Quattro's "Can the Can" through to the end, the British songs sound like they're being played on an old mono turntable. The American and Dutch cuts (Radar Love, Long Cool Woman, etc) all sound great. What's up with that??

Jeez, if you're into 70's music this is the CD for you! American Pie, Popcorn, In the summertine...Just a few of some of the best songs out there. This is a must buy!

Jeez, if you're into 70's music this is the CD for you! American Pie, Popcorn, In the summertine...Just a few of some of the best songs out there. This is a must buy!