Anthology [Original recording remastered]

John Hiatt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 7, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Hip-O Records
• ASIN: B00005N8TI
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,358 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Sure as I'm Sittin' Here

2. Hangin' Around the Observatory

3. Down Home

4. Washable Ink

5. Slug Line

6. Radio Girl

7. Pink Bedroom

8. It Hasn't Happened Yet

9. Spy Boy

10. Doll Hospital

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Memphis in the Meantime

2. Thing Called Love

3. Tennessee Plates

4. Slow Turning

5. Drive South

6. Feels Like Rain

7. Paper Thin

8. Child of the Wild Blue Yonder

9. Real Fine Love

10. Perfectly Good Guitar

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To paraphrase a musical icon, John Hiatt has been a poet, a pauper, and a pawn. He also wrote "Riding with the King." What he hasn't been is a household name. That's a shame, because Hiatt has forged one of the most consistently satisfying canons of any contemporary American singer-songwriter. This double-disc, 40-song anthology charts Hiatt's sometimes stormy, always compelling course across more than a half-dozen record labels and nearly as many styles. Beginning with his early days as a Nashville hired gun (including "Sure As I'm Sittin' Here," a song Three Dog Night took to the top 20), this collection's first disc documents Hiatt's restless early career, which bounded off early Dylan (who covered the songwriter's "The Usual") and Stones influences, through nascent L.A. punk, and on to healthy Elvis obsessions (both Presley and Costello); indeed, songs like "My Edge of the Razor" and "She Loves the Jerk" sound like Costello outtakes. The second chapter chronicles Hiatt boiling off his rich, disparate influences in the mid-'80s to find his own true voice--and again forging successes for others with songs, like his sly original version of Bonnie Raitt's comeback hit, "Thing Called Love." By the collection's final tracks ("Take It Down" and "Crossing Muddy Waters," from the 2000 album named after the latter), Hiatt had come full circle, again embracing his country-blues roots, but in a stripped-down acoustic setting that only underscored his gifts of observation and musical storytelling. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some are missing the point: this compilation is SUBLIME, May 30, 2002

By 

Gilbert Mees (Belgium, Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anthology (Audio CD)

I'm getting a bit annoyed after reading some rather negative or complaining reviews about this wonderful 2cd set. This is as good a John Hiatt compilation ANYONE is ever going to put together, period.

Really good value for your money with 40 crisp remastered tracks and interesting booklet, I can't see how this could be bettered, in terms of song selecion also. I also bought the compilation cd "The best of John Hiatt" and that was a rather dissapointing affair, because John re-recorded some versions of superior original songs like the classic "Have a little faith in me",
also other compilations are too limited in scope (A&M years only etc.). So I'm glad I came across this great compilation. CD2 plays just perfectly, great great music. CD1 is a little more uneven but there are still plenty of highlights like Riding with the King and Lipstick Sunset.

People complaining that there not getting a box set with rarities, outtakes, live versions, demos, etc. ARE TOTALLY MISSING THE POINT OF THIS COMPILATION I'M AFRAID. That is not the meaning of this collection. The goal here is to present a complete overview of Hiatt's carreer, the best songs in their
original versions. Comparable to Chuck Berry's "The Anthology",
Paul McCartney's "Wingspan", Pink Floyd's "Echoes" and BB Kings "Anthology". And as such it is perfect. Box sets: great but not for the casual listener. If you are already a big fan and have all of the original Hiatt albums you can pass this one
up but for the curious music fan this is the one and only compilation of Hiatt's best work up from 1974 until 2000.

I wonder sometimes: artists like Hiatt, Willy Deville, Nick cave, Tom Waits, Frank Zappa etc. who are uniformly respected by the music press and a selected audience (and whom I love) are often criticized when a compilation of their best work is released to the general public. It seems than as if something exclusive has been taken away from the fans of artists like these, because you see them bashing good compilations like this one into the ground, claiming you HAVE to get the original albums. I totally disagree with that, just accept that there are a lot of music lovers who are interested in these artists (like me) but don't want to shelve out for 10+ albums or a 4cd box set to get a decent overview of an artists carreer. No compilation ever will be perfect, but this along with "Strictly Commercial"
(Frank Zappa), "Used Songs" (early Tom waits) and more prove that it is possible to present decent overviews of so-called album artists. Ride on John.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine Overview of Hiatt's changing style, September 16, 2001

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Anthology (Audio CD)

Hip-O finally learned their lesson. After putting out a couple of collections without any of the input of the artist involved, they contacted John Hiatt and asked him what he thought. Overall, he was quite pleased. I have to say so am I. This isn't the definitive collection (we're still waiting for that) with the rarities, one off tracks and outtakes fans are waiting for. It is, however, quite an improvement on the previous two Greatest Hits collections.

The sound quality is very good as are the graphics and booklet. The selections dig deeper than the usual list of singles and songs that received heavy radio play. For the new fan who wants a summary of Hiatt's career this is it. Does it skimp on the extras? Yes but I'm happy that somebody thought enough of Hiatt to finally put many of his best songs in a box set (albeit too short)format.

It would be a wonderful world indeed if Hiatt (and other underappreciated performers) would get the 4 disc set his music really deserves. In an imperfect world this collection manages to redress some of that oversight.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Give us the box set......, July 29, 2003

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anthology (Audio CD)

This is a very good and quite thorough overview of John Hiatt's career, and it certainly gets the nod over "Greatest Hits: The A&M Years '87-'94" and Capitol's "The Best Of John Hiatt", as it is much more comprehensive, featuring some forty songs as opposed to less than twenty on the other two major compilations.
And the third John Hiatt best-of, "Living A Little, Laughing A Little", which focuses on his lesser-known tracks, only includes tracks recorded before 1986.

It is not perfect...very few anthologies are, actually. And "Anthology" misses out on a handful of Hiatt's best songs: The groovy, soulful R&B of "Don't Know Much About Love" isn't here, and neither is the excellent roots-rocker "You May Already Be A Winner", or the sorrowful ballads "Love In Flames" or "Tip Of My Tongue".

But what IS here then? Well, precious few clunkers, that's for sure. John Hiatt is one of the most underrated American composers and lyricists. He draws from both blues, folk, soul, country and R&B, creating a unique, rootsy rock n' roll sound, and these two 78-minute discs are filled with songs ranging from good to great:

Here you'll find the beautiful duet with Roseanne Cash, "The Way We Make A Broken Heart", the poetic and exquisitely melodic "Buffalo River Home" (one of Hiatt's best ever), the wry "Perfectly Good Guitar", the bluesy "Thank You Girl" and "Riding With The King", the superb melodic roots-rocker "She Loves The Jerk", the acoustic ballad "Lipstick Sunset", the tough, straight-ahead rock songs "Child Of The Wild Blue Yonder", "Memphis In The Meantime", "Cry Love" and "Slow Turning", and too many more to mention.

If you're looking for just one comprehensive overview of John Hiatt's 25-year career, I'm afraid you won't find it anywhere (until they give us the box set). But for now, this is the next best thing. And it's pretty darn good, too.