Best of

Bob Lind | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000006N4S
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,929 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Did anyone write more poetic song lyrics in the 60's ?, March 25, 2002

By 

Phil Rogers (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

It would be easier to write a 25-page essay than a short review on this CD compilation. Lind's lyrics could provide grist for the mill of the good part of a semester-long course on either poetry or rhetoric. That said, the early kiss of death he received at the hands of some long forgotten critic who once proclaimed him the next Bob Dylan does not in any way diminish his achievement. More a folkie type than Dylan, Lind's songs do not resemble Dylan's other than in the facility of his use of metaphor, and the density of some of his texts, which one can have difficulty keeping up with without paying very careful attention. [For an interesting comparison, listen to "Elusive Butterfly" along with Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man"--this will give a rudimentary idea of the different directions these two artists travel from similar starting points, [though noting that a good number of Lind's songs are lyrically more dense and potent than 'Butterfly'].

In his best lyrics, Lind tends to dwell in the realms of the waking dream while describing things going on around him, and/or actually happening to him. The rhetoric of his vision blends the imaginative with the everyday. In addition to a much less lyrical style of autobiographical 'reportage', Dylan has a wider repertoire of strategies by which his song/poems present themselves. These include, among others, old style balladry and prophetic dream poems (such as "Gates of Eden" and "Desolation Row"). In very many situations he is most facile/skillful in employing sometimes profuse helpings of allegory (conscious or subconscious) to make his points and to serially shift the attention [sometimes impetuously/tempestuously] of the listener. Compared with him, Lind the lyric poet is generally less mental, and thus somewhat more direct in his musings/meanderings, though no less profound. Among folksingers and pop artists of the mid-sixties, he is master of the lyrical/pastoral genre of song-poems.

Probably the most rewarding way to experience these songs, while admittedly painstaking, is to transcribe the words while listening, since the CD package does not contain the lyrics. In spite of this omission, the executive producers of this CD did put together a very nice product. This includes a four page biography/history, a complete discography which even lists the names of every song on his several albums, and finally four pages of Lind evaluating himself, his career, and offering personal hindsights [c. 1993] on each of the 25 songs. Some of these 'takes' are quite humorous--providing useful nuggets of information and insight about the man, his life, and his art and craft.

Most of these 25 songs are from his first two studio albums (not counting 'The Elusive Bob Lind', which was released without his blessings by Verve Folkways). Some of the tunes (e.g. #'s 4 and 8) which are rather limp melodically/musically, are nevertheless saved in large part by great lyrics. The best tunes from the 'first album', in addition to " . . . Butterfly", are #'s 2, 7, and 10-12. Again, careful listening will likely reveal a number of the others for the gems which they are.

Lind stretches out a little bit musically [and otherwise] on the '2nd album'. On several of the tunes, the lyrics aren't coming at you nearly so quick, so they're more like normal songs (I prefer his former style, actually). There are a couple of lighthearted jug band/ragtime stylings, plus the hilarious "Go Ask Your Man". At this point, I believe that the best ones here are #'s 16 through 18, and also the last number on the CD, which is like early 'world music' with island-sounding accompaniment parts including well-played bongos.

Please note that some folks may find the string arrangements a bit annoying, but they are actually very tasteful compared with what was done later to Glen Campbell.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Remember The Rain, December 7, 2000

By 

Peter E. Fay (Longmeadow, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

We all remember Bob Lind as a "One Hit Wonder" for his "Elusive Butterfly"-- one of the shames in American music. His "Remember the Rain" cut from the "Best of Bob Lind" album is an up tempo, but still haunting reminder of that song. The entire CD includes song after song marked by Lind's clear, direct vocal talent. If you are a rare Bob Lind fan like I am join me in requesting someone to cut a CD from his "The Elusive Bob Lind" album. This was produced by Verve records in the late sixties. It included songs like "Peggy-O", "Hey, Nellie Nellie" and "The Swan". The blend of Lind's workman like voice and many-stringed orchestras may seem incongruous at first, but fit together so beautifully that you have to play, and replay for hours on end.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Folky one-hit wonder's fine first two LPs, July 6, 2005

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

To whom he's popularly known, Lind is a one-hit wonder who fluked his way on to the charts with the sensitive folk-rock gem, "Elusive Butterfly." But like so many one-hit wonders, there was a career both before and after his brief rush of fame.
Previous to recording, Lind had kicked around the Denver folk scene before moving on to Los Angeles. Once there he inked a deal with World Pacific (a subsidiary of Liberty) in surprisingly short time, and followed with a hit on the B-side of his first single. The A-side, "Cheryl's Going Home," probably also deserved to be a hit, with its slightly more muscular Neil Diamond like sound. Jack Nitszche's production, liberally utilizing members of Spector's Wrecking Crew, is spot-on, treading the folk-rock line between coffee-house acoustic and radio electric.

World Pacific's flip-flopping choices for follow-up singles squandered the momentum of "Elusive Butterfly," and Lind's chart success vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. Perhaps it's not so unusual, but given the high quality of Lind's songs and Nitszche's productions, it's a real shame. Lind's debut LP, "Don't Be Concerned" (reproduced here on tracks 1-12) most fully capitalizes on the talents that sent his single to #5. The follow-up LP, "Photographs of a Feeling" (reproduced here on tracks 13-22) is a more varied affair, and lyrically reflective of the counterculture demons that would further neutralize Lind's career.

The disc is rounded out by the single, "It's Just My Love," a pair of unreleased tracks from 1967 ("I Fall to You" and "English Afternoon"), detailed liner notes, interviews with and song notes by Lind, and a discography. Collector's note: the second verse of "Don't Be Concerned" was deleted on the debut album's original release; the version here is unedited.