Best of [Import]

Billy Swan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 9, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Epic Europe
• ASIN: B0000247FC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,042 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Can Help

2. Shake, Rattle and Roll

3. Stranger

4. Lover Please

5. Number One

6. Don't Be Cruel

7. (You Just) Woman Handled My Mind

8. Everything's the Same (Ain't Nothing Changed)

9. I Just Want to Taste Your Wine

10. Vanessa

11. You're the One

12. Do I Have to Draw a Picture

13. I'm into Lovin' You

14. Stuck Right in the Middle of Your Love

15. With Their Kind of Money and Our Kind of Love

16. Your Picture Still Loves Me (And I Still Love You)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The prototypical journeyman, Billy Swan had a fleeting moment in the spotlight: "I Can Help," a good-natured throwaway Swan put together in a half-hour, became an out-of-the-blue country/pop crossover hit in 1974. While the jaunty rockabilly gem opens this 16-song survey of Swan's Columbia work, a low-key charm spans the album. Other standouts here include "Lover Please" (Swan composed the rock & roll staple in 1962 while still in high school; Clyde McPhatter took it to the charts) and "Don't Be Cruel" (slowed down and given an earnest reading). Following his short-lived moment in the sun, Swan returned to being a sideman for the likes of Kris Kristofferson and T-Bone Burnett, making him that rarest of performers: an artist keenly aware of his limitations. This collection proves, however, that he deserves to be more than a name that turns up in '70s trivia contests. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable., April 23, 2002

By 

W. Grandy (windsor, nova scotia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

This album needs to revisited if you haven't heard it for awhile. His biggest pop/country hit 'I Can Help' is here as is Kris Kristoffersons' 'Stranger' which is a very good rendition. (he has toured with Kris several times). His own version of 'Lover Please' (he wrote it) is different than Clyde Mcphatter but worth a listen. A totally different version of 'Don't Be Cruel' sounds strange the first time you hear it, but after a couple of times it really sounds good. (it's down tempoed'}. A real surprise I had never heard before was the final cut of this album 'Your Picture Still Loves Me' which is very nice indeed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly Swan's best, June 19, 2001

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

This sixteen track set rounds up all of Swan's best work on the Monument label in the mid `70s as well as Epic in the early `80s (both now conveniently affiliated with Sony/Columbia). Swan's biggest hit was also his first: the instantly appealing rockabilly plea "I Can Help," which topped both the pop and country charts. "I Can Help" is the epitome of the Swan sound, with his thin voice and not particularly deep subject matter more than compensated for by his charismatic exuberance and an engaging beat. This allure is especially notable on his early Monument covers of Bill Haley ("Shake, Rattle, and Roll"), Buddy Holly ("You're The One"), and Elvis Presley (a nicely slowed-down "Don't Be Cruel").

Swan wasn't limited to covers, however. He had a hand in writing ten of the sixteen hits found here (including "I Can Help"). These originals have some wonderfully quirky moments - particularly the humorous trio of "(You Just) Woman Handled My Mind," "Do I Have To Draw A Picture," and "With Their Kind Of Money And Our Kind Of Love." If you are looking for some rockabilly that's modern and entertaining, you can't go wrong with The Best Of Billy Swan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars singer, songwriter and more--Billy Swan can do it all, September 15, 2010

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

Singer/songwriter/actor/producer/sideman and more, Billy Swan's music is incredible! His most famous song may be "I Can Help," but the entirety of this album is wonderful for his fans, both new and diehard. He is in excellent form throughout the album! Billy could (and still can) write and do so much more as well as perform; and this CD does a great job of showing us his talent during the years he recorded on the Monument label which is now Columbia Records. In addition, the quality of the sound is excellent.

The album opens up with one terrific hit for Billy, "I Can Help." "I Can Help" made the airwaves sizzle back when it was released; I remember the radio on our school bus frequently playing this song and even as young kids we all enjoyed it very much. "Shake, Rattle and Roll" gets the royal treatment from Billy who does his rendition to perfection--and beyond! His sophisticated phrasing makes his cover of this song a very good one indeed. Moreover, there's yet another gem in "Stranger;" and I really like "Lover Please" with that musical arrangement fitting in perfectly with the lyrics; "Number One" which sounds so pensive and beautiful; "Don't Be Cruel" with Billy squarely in the spotlight; the excellent "(You Just) Woman Handled My Mind" while "Everything's the Same (Ain't Nothing Changed)" is more outstanding music--not to mention another hit single for Billy.

"I Just Want to Taste Your Wine" is romantic indeed; and I always like hearing Billy do other tunes like "Vanessa;" "You're the One" with that backup chorus and the very fine country song "Do I Have to Draw a Picture." I love it!

"I'm into Lovin' You" showcases Billy once more; he aces this as effortlessly as if it were mere breathing--but of course we know it wasn't really all that easy, Billy's talent carries him through every time. "Stuck Right in the Middle of Your Love" is very well done; and Billy Swan does a fine job on both "With Their Kind of Money and Our Kind of Love" as well as "Your Picture Still Loves Me (And I Still Love You)" which closes the album with a number that makes me reach for the replay button on my CD player!

Billy Swan has given us so much wonderful music, covers of great songs and so much more through the years; and we are all better off for his sharing his talent with us. I highly recommend this for any fan of Billy Swan; and newcomers to Billy's artistry will not be disappointed. In addition, fans of rockabilly, country and even pop music from not so long ago would do well to get this for their collections.