Customer Reviews

Best Of: You've Got Me Humming

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It certainly is true that if Billy Joel did not become a superstar, this retrospective CD never would have been made. In fact, both Hassles albums' master tapes would probably have been lost forever if not destroyed. Luckily, rock history works in strange ways, and Billy Joel's fascinating early career now is the subject of this tasty album. There is no denying that the Hassles started as a band with a plan: to become famous with hit songs and hit albums. The first half of the CD is devoted to all tracks from their excellent '67 debut release, and they sound great. The covers such as COLORED RAIN, JUST HOLDING ON, I HEAR VOICES (there was actually a promotional video that accompanied this track) are catchy and memorable pop songs in a general Rascals/Beatles style. Crank em up, they sound awesome in stereo!! Local sales of the record were actually good, but they did not tour nationally, so remained a cult band. HOUR OF THE WOLF was released in '68-69 to slower sales, and the sound was a departure; influenced by darker psychedelic sounds of the Late-Sixties Fillmore East/East Village scene. However, on both albums, the musicianship is professional and flawless. Billy Joel was always a talented keyboardist/vocalist even as a teenager. Guitarist Richie McKenner may have become a premeir 70s rock guitarist if his group would have seen the success it wanted. Unfortunately, the Hassles folded in the summer of '69, their final single (Sadly, NOT on this album) being released the week of Woodstock. Joel did continue as Attila with drummer Jon Small in 1970, but the psychedelic sixties phase was over. In 1970-71 there was a lost period, and when COLD SPRING HARBOR emerged in late '71, Billy Joel had started over as a James Taylor/ Elton John style singer songwriter. He apparently wanted nothing to do with his old bands and albums; seemed like a traumatic time for him. Luckily, us fans can now play and replay his oldies again and again thanks to the magic of digital remastering. This CD is recommended despite the omission of a few non-essential tracks.

-FINALLY, the song "Hour Of The Wolf" (along with most all of the recorded work of THE HASSLES) has been released on cd, in this "Best of" compilation! Billy Joel has supposedly been "blocking" this stuff from seeing the light of day (on cd) for ages. If you were into experimental, psychedelic, acid rock and late night AM radio back in the late '60s and early '70s, then maybe you've heard this stuff before?... The epic approx. 12 minute track "Hour Of The Wolf" is reason enough for owning this cd. It is an intriguing (and virtually unknown) side to Billy Joel, that's for sure! ;-)

IT is great to here my early recordings, it sounds like 30 yrs ago was yesterday. The Hassles were, and always be the premier band from Long Island For ever Thanks, ...

For anyone that was there in the mid-sixties, this is a must. If you ever went to My House, the Hullabaloo (Northport) or My Father's Place (Roslyn), this one brings back lots of memories. There were lots of bands back then and Long Island was a great environment for new artists. One of the best bands of this era was the Sonics from Oyster Bay, you would be surprised at how good Jackie "the joke man" was as a singer. Every town had there own battle-of-the-bands and many successes came from this time and place. This is a great snapshot of what took place on the north shore during the mid-sixties.

There was a time in the late 60's on Long Island when the music was raucus and punchy... a guitar, Hammond B-3 organ, and a strong bass and drums - perhaps a lead singer. This is the time, the place, and the music that formed Billy Joel. His band was fun to see; and fun to listen to.

I bought this album to both remember that time, and to pass it on to my kids... I was there... I loved it... and it brings back great memories. (oh yea... get a first Vanilla Fudge album; and if you're lucky, you might find a Vagrants album too).

I remember when the Hassles played at my Junior Prom at Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, Long Island. "You Got Me Hummin'" was climbing up the charts. We used to see the band hanging out in front of the Mid-Island record store and think, "What a bunch of losers. They'll never go anywhere." Boy did Billy Joel prove us wrong. Great Long Island psychedelic rock in the style of the Vanilla Fudge. Take a trip back down memory lane.

It's the early Billy Joel...and friends. Not terrible, but not terrific. If you're a BJ collector BUY IT and enjoy. If not...forget it. I got to see The Hassels perform at a small "PR" event one afternoon at the 60s disco "Arthur." We were given their new LP to rave/write about...sorry, it wasn't that good. Many years later got to see/hear him "doodling" at the piano, hours before a giant concert in Long Island. I got to hear some truely wonderful jazz piano that I will never forget. Wish someone had recorded those 20 odd minutes... I would have given it a full 5 stars.

From Long Island NY, The Hassles 1967 debut album on United Artists, is a very energetic & melodic dose of white boy blue eyed soul. The rhythm section is tight and heavy and sounds great in stereo. Billy Joel's organ playing on the Hammond B3 is quite impressive, kinda of reminiscent of Felix Cavaliere. Also, very decent rock n' soul vocals with some nice harmonies. This remains a classic album with: A Taste Of Honey, I'm Just Holding On, Giving Up Is Hard To Do, You Got Me Hummin' and the acid rock of I Hear Voices. I like it along with other New York rock and soul groups like the monumental Young Rascals, Vanilla Fudge and even lesser known groups like The Bag, and CHILD. The Hassles 1st and Hour of the Wolf (2nd) are WELL worth a listen and a worthy addition to any 60's rock collection. Don't listen to the negative reviews and pick up either the EMI compilation CD reissue of the 1st album released in the early 90's, The Best of...(this one here) on Razor & Tie CD (both are sonically excellent in sound quality), or better yet, find the original United Artists' pressings on vinyl if you're a record collector. Either way, sit back and enjoy some decent 60's rock that has been forgotten by many, even deliberately by Billy Joel himself.

For some reason, Billy Joel disowned his early work (didn't get royalties?), but it also shows that he was a talent as a teenager and that his success from "The Stranger" and "Piano Man" was far from an overnight success.

Even though he put his name on the album covers, Joel seemed to like being part of a band when he's gone on tour, and utilized most of the same people over the years with very little personnel changes.

Even though it's very derivitive and the influences obvious ("Coloured Rain" must've been a United Artists "freebie" from Traffic, and the Rascals definitely played into their music), you hear a band that must've been better than the others of the day, as the bands that worked on and around Long Island in various original and cover bands back in the 60s would wind up being major players in the years ahead until the early 80s.

The music on this CD is as good as anything on the "Nuggets" compilation, fans of the more obscure late 60s rock music will be drawn to this one.

You can tell there are 2 albums on here, as the first part of it sounds more soulful and the second part prior to the demos goes for the psychedelic. Joel's voice is higher than people are accustomed to hearing how he would sing later, but nothing distracting. I'd rather listen to this than a lot of the music that's put out today. It's soulful and more importantly, sounds like they were having fun doing it.

Hopefully Joel will put some of these songs (and the promo video they did that eventually made it on to a documentary) into his own "rarities" box set.

As one of the other reviewers here has said: This a side of Billy Joel few have seen.

When I was 14 in 1968 I would stay up late at night listening to WNEW-FM in New York. This is truely one of my oldest memories of heavy Phychodelic Rock. Oh the 60's what a time in music. I was just comming of age, bearly old enough to remember, and this sure is a Crusty Gem of the era!