Customer Reviews

Best: Loggins & Messina - Sittin in Again

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's been almost thirty years since their first greatest hits album THE BEST OF FRIENDS was released, and Columbia/Legacy still can't get it right! The earlier hits package (which I reviewed five years ago) had only ten tracks from arguably the most popular duo of the early Seventies. This new album solves that problem by expanding the collection to 18 tracks and includes the unedited version of "Angry Eyes." But of the duo's three Top 40 hits, only "Your Mama Don't Dance" is included. How could you leave off "My Music" (No. 16) and "Thinking of You" (No. 18) and still title this album THE BEST?

It's also worth noting that there are no songs from their final two albums: 1975's oldies album SO FINE and 1976's NATIVE SONS. Fully two-thirds of this compilation are from their first two albums with six songs each from 1972's SITTIN' IN and the follow-up LOGGINS AND MESSINA. Four songs are taken from 1973's FULL SAIL and two from 1974's MOTHER LODE.

It's encouraging to see a resurgence of interest in the music of Loggins and Messina (and there is a 40-date reunion tour scheduled to start in late June), but's disappointing to see some of the gaping holes that this set has. It really needed to be a two-disc collection to do the job right. [Another option is to simply purchase the box set collection of their first three albums.] RECOMMENDED

I can see the points made in the other reviews about the missing hits, the lack of tunes from So Fine and Native Sons and the fact that it could have easily been a 2 disc set.

These are all good points except for one small thing- the 18 tracks on this disc were hand picked by Jim Messina and Kenny Loggins. They felt this was the best representation of their music they could put on one disc. I don't totally agree either- I made my own 2 disc Best of years ago.

The other thing to keep in mind here- this is the best sounding versions of these tunes to make it to CD. They are the original mixes uncut and unchanged by others after Jim & the other original producers got done with them.

Jim wne tinto the studio with the original master tapes from the 70's a nd remastered all the tracks here digitally. He didn't cut them. he didn't remix them he just remastered the original album cuts.

So if you're looking for a great sounding version of some of the best L&M tunes on CD get this disc.

Dennis
Trenton, NJ

Why four stars for such a talented duo? It's not the music itself, which is really good stuff, and it's not the production, which is pretty much flawless. It's the lack of all the other worthy songs that should have been included, especially on a release titled "The Best" - this should have had at least twice the number of songs it contains. In my opinion, Sony just can't seem to get it right when doing compilations - the focus invaribly stays on the monetary, not the musical, and as a consequence, consumers of good music are left wanting. Casual fans of Loggins and Messina may be satisfied that, at long last, there is something available other than the very skimpy 10 cut "Best Of Friends", but for those who really appreciate the range of this underated pair, this release will probably disappoint because it could have been so much better. Here's hoping that Sony plans for a double disc "Essential Loggins and Messina" that will fill in all the considerable holes that this collection has, and I pray that it doesn't take as long to hit the streets as "Sittin' In Again" did.

Jim Messina began his career sitting in with Buffalo Springfield. Then he stayed with Richie Furey to found Poco and guide it to become a major player in the emerging Country Rock movement that, expecially when it is paired with Southern Rock, made the 1970s a great decade for music fans. The Country Rock of that era was more truly Country than most of the major stars of Nashville Country today, and it could rock with the best of 'em.

Jim Messina made a third major mark on the music by sitting in with and mentoring Kenny Loggins. They formed a talented pair, spurring one another. Though Loggins and Messina never dominated the charts, they were fixtures on the early and mid-'70s FM scene, which provided the era's best radio as it focused on originality and quality and all but ignored sales of singles.

The Best of Friends, the duo's 1976 'best of' album, contained only ten tracks, and one of them, 'Angry Eyes,' was presented in its half-length single version. I bought the vinyl in about 1979 because at the time I did not have the money to purchase more than one L&M album (though I always liked the duo, record money had to be allocated on merit, and Jackson Browne, the Kinks, Van Morrison, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan all came before L&M, and many others I saw as equal to the duo had to be represented as well). From the first time I played it, I was happy to have the best known songs on one album, but I also was bothered that the album did not include another two cuts (12 songs was about as long an album as we could expect then). I particularly wanted 'Listen to a Country Song' to be includued in the list of songs that current and future DJs would use as the basis from which to select potential Loggins&Messina oldies for radio airing.

This new Best Of album includes 'Listen to a Country Song' and the full version of 'Angry Eyes' among its 18 selections. I find no great fault with any song that is included, but I am bothered that 3 songs on the Best of Friends LP ('Peace of Mind,' 'My Music,' and 'Thinking of You') are missing here. That two of them were among the duo's 3 best selling singles is worth noting, but because many hit singles are junk, sales alone should not determine inclusion on a Best Of album. 'Thinking of You' is a beautiful song, one that is perfect for two men with acoustic guitars to play to an intimate crowd. It should be on any list of the 12 best Loggins&Messina songs. 'My Music' is simply a rousing jaunt, one that shows the fun-loving side of the duo almost as much 'Your Mama Don't Dance.' Messina wrote 'Peace of Mind' while still in Poco, and it is thus a concrete linking of Loggins&Messina with the beginnings of Country Rock in the 1960s.

Surely this disc could have included these 3 songs without cutting any of the 18 it features. Without them, I cannot rate it more than a 4.

Have loved L&M forever, but would like it if the record label would stop recycling what can be purchased and produce the title that we only have on warped vinyl. Would love to hear SO Fine and Finale on cd digital quality. Both are in my opinion hidden and "buried" gems or this band's body of work

I just saw them last Saturday night at the Aspen Jazz Fest. They even brough Larry Sims from the old band on stage with them to sing a few. What an absolutely incredible experience! Although most of the old band is doing other things, and I am sad to say that Jon Clarke has gone to play woodwinds with the band in heaven, the entire night was magical.

As for this collection, let it be said that after thirty years, any collection that compiles their songs on a cd, no matter how limited, is worth it's weight in gold. If you are one of those collecters who have loved Loggins and Messina, you should have all of their cds already, or at least have downloaded them. If you are one of those who simply wait around to get the greatest hits packages, then get this one. But don't stop there! Collect all of the music by Loggins and Messina that you can.

Thanks Kenny and Jim. What a night!

Im a big fan of Loggins & Messina, but I expected better from this new CD regarding its sound-quality (i.e., recording-quality). The music itself deserves 5 stars, but the sound-quality gets only 2 stars (especially since Sony raises expectations by placing a big sticker on the front of the CD, touting excellent sound from the original tapes).

The sound is indeed better than that of the old, poor-sounding The Best of Friends. But my old, standard copy of Full Sail actually sounds better than this new CD does. (And my gold copy of Full Sail, on the Mobile Fidelity label, sounds even better.) Comparing tracks common to both CDs, Full Sail sounds much more natural and musical; this new CD sounds hard, glassy, and rather edgy and unpleasant (I had to keep turning down the volume, to compensate for the relative harshness of the sound). It's as though, for the sake of utter clarity, Sony scrubbed the sound nearly to the bone, leaving too little sonic flesh. The sound is rather cold, lacking the essential warmth that should accompany musical instruments.

For this great music, the original master tapes should always have been used. When Sony finally did get around to using the original masters, they blew it. Why could Mobile Fidelity get such good sound from the Full Sail master tapes while Sony could not?

I don't want to overstate the problem; this is not the worst-sounding CD I've ever heard. But it is a disappointment, an opportunity lost. If you already have these songs on CD, you should question whether you need this new CD.

October 27, 2008

It was around twenty years ago, while listening to Loggins&Messina on a black ebony-like FM radio in my closet like room in Upper Manhattan that I first heard one of my most cherished songs of all songs. House at Pooh Corner has always been my comfort song. It remains today as featured on this CD as an acoustic classic, a signature song referencing Winnie The Pooh, the wonderful bear of my younger years that nobody mentions anymore now that we need him to calm us in these days. When I think of Loggins and Messina I think of how soft rock or acoustic music used to be twenty years ago. Precision musicians and music industry professionals like Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina knew their stuff. House at Pooh Corner is that segment of music in the eighties that highlights the time as does Suspicious Minds, an Elvis comeback marvel exemplifies that time constraint as two song selections that are unforgettable. Meanwhile, Danny's Song and Your Mama Don't Dance are excellent entries included on this CD that also portray Loggins and Messina as superb and super accurate in their musicianship, vocals and production. Not too long ago they went on tour and from the onset appeared as the dragon slayer draw that so many classic bands have become. The listeners are restless, they want good music and they seem to be willing to go back to Jo Stafford to get it.

Jay Adler,Music Critic

There's a lot to be said about this release. Sound wise it's not a 'remaster' - but that can be a good thing too! Some of the 'remaster jobs' have been horribly bad. The 'rush' for 'remastered versions' is certainly not all it's cracked up to be with this 'buzz word.' Although it's not the same as "Best of Friends" ... this is also very good compared to the vast improvement of the sound. Comparing the sound quality side by side to "Best of" ... "Sittin In Again" is FAR BETTER. Yes, there needs to be a complete box set from this terrific pair. But I got to give Jim and Kenny a high five for making sure the tracks were better balanced within the songs themselves (this time) and preserving a rich fullness that is getting lost with the push for the 'make it louder 'remasters.' The 'wiz kids' at the studios need these 'old pros' helping them point out the potential audio that's lost instead of rushing for 'product.' (Good case in point - George Martin's work on the remastering of 'Yellow Submarine' and on the Beatles 'Love' cd released last year.) Thanks Jim and Kenny for a good job! I hope Loggins and Messina's entire catalog gets a full blown remix and remaster with these two pro's at the helm.

Clearly this is a classic cd for all genres and for all ages.
My friends ,and family love hearing the wonderful songs and melodies.Sometimes we listen as we do our chore, or , sometimes, we just kick up our feet, and just sittin' again ; and listen to good warm feeling music.