Customer Reviews

Anthology

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up this 2 cd set on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. This 2 cd anthology is pretty much all the Bachman Turner Overdrive you need if you are on a budget. I have seen the band in concert and they put on a good show. I used to own a vinyl copy of the "Best Of Bachman Turner Overdrive (So Far)" but I lost it or someone did not return it to me along the way. I was familiar with some of their songs from seeing them live but this set contains many more great songs which did not make the "Best Of" compilation.

The band was formed after Randy Bachman left the Guess Who and his project Brave Belt did not work out. The first album contains the Bachman brothers Randy, Tim, and Rob with C.F. Turner on bass and vocals. Later Tim Bachman was replaced by Blair Thornton on guitar. The line up remained fairly stable until lynch pin Randy Bachman left the band for good. The band continued on without him but the music was never as good without the main songwriter. Luckily only two tracks from the line up without Randy Bachman are included in this set. The Anthology is arranged chronologically so you can follow the band's evolution. The set contains the obvious radio hits like "Takin' Care Of Business", "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", "Let It Ride" (sounds like a Doobie Brothers tune), "Roll On Down The Highway" and "Hey You". However, the set contains many rarities such as quad mixes (remember them) of "Free Wheelin'", "Not Fragile", "Rock Is My Life, And This Is My Song" and "Flat Broke Love". The set also contains the non-lp single "Down The Line" a live version of "Don't Get Yourself In Trouble from a rare import only live album, and the unissued studio cuts "The Letter" (yes a cover version), and "I Think You Better Slow Down/Slow Down Boogie" a concert favorite. Another rarity is the extended alternate take of "Stayed Awaked All Night" probably their best tune from their debut lp. I enjoyed such less familiar cuts like "Hold Back The Water", "Gimme Your Money Please", "Thank You For The Feelin'" and "Sledgehammer" as well as the more radio friendly cuts. The fat guitar riffs and crunching chords bring back memories of listening to my old FM clock radio during the seventies. If you like good old meat and potatoes rock and roll then this set is for you.

I first heard Bachman Turner Overdrive when I was 5 years old (1975). My dad would play the "4 Wheel Drive" cut (on the same LP) for me on his Big Rig stereo. I loved it ... the driving bass had me dancing around the room.

I reinvestigated BTO after high school and bought the '4 Wheel Drive' album, also a great CD. However, I developed a new appreciation for BTO with "Anthology, Bachman-Turner Overdrive". This anthology hardly misses anything. I do wish they included "She's a Devil" from the 4 Wheel Drive instead of "Don't Let the Blues Get You Down". But that's my only nic pic. I particularly like "The Letter" which was previously unreleased. I had fun comparing it to Joe Cocker's "Letter" which is his version of the same song. Both are Really Good! I love Cocker's gravely vocals, but I lean toward BTO's version for it's hard driving bass. 'Joe Cocker - Anthology' is very good too.

I own BTO's self titled debut album and 'Four Wheel Drive' but no other individual albums. With 'BTO Anthology' I haven't felt the need to buy others. I usually skip the songs from BTO's debut album ... I know, many say it's the best but I don't buy it. Well, I did "buy" it but that's beside the point! My favorite cuts include "Welcome Home" from 'BTO II', "Not Fragile" from 'Not Fragile', "flat Broke Love" from 'Four Wheel Drive', and "Looking Out For #1" from 'Head On' among others.

The sound quality of this CD is also very good. If you like BTO and you don't already own the individual albums, you should definitely buy this first.

let's go back in our time machine to chhicago, 1976/77

you have a band that sells records, and it slows up a bit. there is this new music called disco, and your number one band needs something to tide them over. your sitting there with a tape of "down to the line", or a fantastic loud great version of "the letter"......which do you release? well, lucky for us, we FINALLY GET THE RIGHT ONE RELEASED HERE! fred turners vocals, and the playing are just superb. the rest of the cd is all the hits, and nothin' but the hits, along with great lp cuts........this cd is fantastic. too bad they couldn't add the canadian only bto version of "wooly bully" too. another great cover with fred turner vocals. buy this you wont be soorry.

Rather than swing or groove, Bachman-Turner Overdrive's brand of hard rock borders on heavy metal, plodding along with a big, thudding beat and simple, rhythmic guitar riffs, and featuring Randy Bachman's rough, throaty vocals.

Two discs and 31 tracks is a lot of BTO, and probably too much for most casual listeners...the thing about BTO is that they didn't actually produce too many hidden gems, so almost all of their best songs (with the exception of "Gimme Your Money Please") can be found on the single-disc "Greatest Hits" CD.

But if you do want more, this collection provides it. Not all these many album tracks are great, and some are simply pedestrian, but there is definitely some good stuff here, too.

BTO's solid, guitar-heavy hard rock repertoire included hits like "Takin' Care Of Business", "Let It Ride", "Roll On Down The Highway", "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and "Lookin' Out For #1", but lesser-known songs like "Shotgun Rider", "The Letter", "Hold Back The Water", "It's Over", "Take It Like A Man", and C.F. Turner's "Flat Broke Love" are certainly worth a listen as well.
The previously unreleased, eight-minute heavy metal workout "Stayed Awake All Night" packs a good punch, too, as does the ten-minute live rendition of "Don't Get Yourself In Trouble".

As usual, serious BTO fans will probably find that some or other worthy album track is missing, but "The Anthology" is actually a pretty good collection for fans of BTO who want a little more than just the hits.
3 3/4 stars.

If you ever liked anything recorded by BTO then you MUST have this anthology. Why Randy and company didn't become a superstar band is a mystery to me. The music, power, and voice of these songs is outstanding. Turn it up REALLY loud~~~ BTO lives!

I agree with the below review. Instead of buying all the other CD's (unless you're a hardcore fan), this is the one to get. Their songwriting was always spotty for me, but the riffs were usually on-target. This s a quintessential '70s boogie band. The last few songs on disc two showed it was ime for them to quit, but the first 90% is great.

This collection is simply awesome. All of their great hits plus lots of gems (the title track from "Not Fragile", the jamming live "Don't Get Yourself in Trouble", and the underrated "Shotgun Rider" to name a few). Excellent collection for BTO fans. Also comes with an informative booklet. One of the underrated great groups of the 70's.

I grew up listening to Bachman-Turner Overdrive during my late teenage years and I have yet to hear a Hard Rock Band which gets close to their distict and unique sound. This very fine CD set contains most of their best songs including "Roll On Down The Highway" with C.F. Turner's gravelly and very strong vocal work and I was happy to also find "Take It Like A Man" which includes some excellent piano work from Little Richard. This band sounds as fresh today as they did 30 years ago so crank up your stereo amplifier into Overdrive and rock with these guys. Next to Catherine Mary Stewart these guys are Canada's geatest export!

I see numerous amazon.com reviews characterizing BTO as being a heavy metal band. I disagree. This is a classic hard rock band. Granted, they may have been influenced to a small degree by bands such as Led Zeppelin, but BTO kept to their own style. There's just too much pop sensibility in songs like: "You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet" and "Takin' Care of Business" to attempt to pigeon-hole their music into the metal genre.

In part, it gets down to style. I was wild about hard rock and metal during the late 60s through mid-70s and saw all of the successful bands live. Led Zeppelin and other metal bands of the era had a certain mood that was rarely as boisterous as BTO. Seeing Randy Bachman and CF Turner side by side made one wonder if those huge thighs were going to jackhammer a hole right through the stage floor.

If you don't want to buy all of the individual albums, this collection is a decent compromise. None of the original relaeases are without weak tunes, so you'll get more bang per buck here, but you'll also miss out on a few decent tunes.

If you buy only one BTO cd then this is the one to own. The sound quality is superb, the hits are all here and you won't be disappointed. The songs are laid out in chronological order, so you get the true feel of the evolution of the band. This is the one CD that's always in my car. I can't get enough of it! It's heavy metal without being annoying. If this was the band that you remember rocking to in the 70's, then you should buy this.