Customer Reviews

Blood Sweat & Tears - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a fan of BS&T from the original days, but with no LP's of the band in my possession, I had been looking for a "best of" CD compilation when I came across this one on Amazon. The real excellence of the band is, in my opinion, due to the exemplary jazz chops showcased on so many of their songs, so I wanted to make sure this compilation was complete in that respect--in other words, containing full album cuts, rather than the shorter "radio" versions as played in the band's heyday...Two of the band's signature hits, "And When I Die" and "Spinning Wheel" are, alas, the SHORTER versions, missing the outstanding jazz breaks altogether. Not that that's bad, as BS&T's songs are so good that they defy editing; but these shorter versions just don't showcase the band to its fullest extent.

Thankfully, "God Bless The Child" DOES have it's jazzy interlude intact--an extraordinary example of BS&T at its best.

Granted, this is a "greatest hits" CD--hits based on radio play of the shorter versions. But it could have been a MAGNIFICENT collection if it had included the longer, complete versions of all the songs. As it is, it's "merely" better-than-good.

"What goes up...must come down," so the song says, and with Blood Sweat and Tears an era of jazz-rock fusion did both. These songs were standards in 1969 -- three hit #2 on the charts -- and introduced a new rock and roll style that Chicago softened and rolled into a hit-making machine throughout the 70s.

Lead singer David Clayton-Thomas rips through his material with a preacher's passion, especially Laura Nyro's "And When I Die," his own "Spinning Wheel," "Lucretia McEvil," and "Lisa, Listen to Me." But it's "Sometimes In Winter" and the two songs from the first, non-Clayton-Thomas album, "I Can't Quit Her," and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know," that show how progressive this music was and could've been under original leader Al Kooper. Even so, this is an excellent sampler from a group which sincerely tried to bridge two generations of music.

Another reviewer stole my opening line: This album does make me so very happy.

Argue all you wish about whether BS&T was better with or without David Clayton-Thomas. You cannot argue with the fact that this reissue has some really great music, and most of the band's best!

We expect them to rock the house with songs like "Spinning Wheel", and "Lucretia McEvil". The in-your-face horn section does not overplay the band on their gentler hits found here, like "Somethimes in Winter" or "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know".

I must disagree with another reviewer with regard to the jazz interludes which appear here in some songs (as opposed to the A.M. radio versions). They positively make songs like "Spinning Wheel" and without the interlude, "God Bless The Child" would not be half the song it was.

This is a fine fine piece of music.

One of the greatest horn sections of the seventies was basically raped by the re-issue of this greatest hits compilation. I have the earlier version (with original album cuts), and the songs are just amazing. The horn breakdowns on Lucrecia McEvil, God Bless the Child, and Spinning Wheel are the most impressing parts of the music. My fear is that new fans will miss those important elements of B,S,&T's music.

This is an excellent sounding reissue of a classic LP and this CD is worth buying for either diehards or the casual fans: The original LP is all mono using the 45 versions, the original CD issue used the stereo LP versions. In 1999, the Greatest Hits LP was reissued again on CD, this time using the 45 versions in stereo that came from the promo 45 stereo single masters and this release became the first time the 45 versions ended up available in stereo for wide release. So collectors, audiophiles and casual fans should buy this CD. If you want a greatest hits collection with the LP versions, buy the "What Goes Up?" 2 CD set or the 1980s CD of this compilation.

Blood, Sweat & Tears were exceptional because they burst on the scene doing something very different than the mainstream. Adding jazz elements, they successfully fused rock to jazz. Another less recognized accomplishment was highlighting the work of women songwriters Laura Nyro, Carole King & Billie Holiday. The greatest hits collection is a good overview. "You've Made Me So Very Happy" became almost a new song with the BST treatment, a classic that still plays well 33 years later. Al Kooper's "I Can't Quit Her" pulses with the piano-based arrangement. David Clayton-Thomas' "Go Down Gamblin'" offers a strong horn section in this rock/jazz hybrid. Carole King's "Hi-De-Ho" starts off as kind of music hall fare and builds into a frenzy of excitement. The sultry horns are exquisite on the track. Classicists will faint, but in my book "Sometimes In Winter" ranks with the best of Debussy for its mood elements and shear sonic pleasure. It was the inclusion of that track that made me want the greatest hits package. Laura Nyro was such an incredible songwriter. To hear BST's hit version of this song back to back with Nyro's live version on her "The Loom's Desire" CD shows how creative BST was with this classic material; both versions quite different with each being brilliant. Clayton-Thomas' "Spinning Wheel" is a great classic track. I agree that the instrumentals on the album version added a lot to make the track even better. "Lisa, Listen to Me" is an interesting track that I had forgotten. Al Kooper is so crazy! His song "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" is classic blue-eyed soul. "Lucretia MacEvil" with its unusual lyric and DCT's steamroller vocal was never my favorite; and I never knew why Columbia released it as a single. "God Bless the Child" helped bring a resurgence of interest in Billie Holiday's music; and for that alone should be gratefully appreciated. However, they do nail it with their arrangement, making it their own. Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil's "So Long Dixie" is a good addition to this 1999 reissue of the package; combining some great harmony vocals with a good horn chart. The CD ends with the sweet melody of "More & More" with BST's blaring horn section. BST opened the door for all sorts of jazz fusion experiments. This is a great collection! For walking down memory lane, it sounds remarkably fresh!

BS&T was one of the finest jazz/rock bands. Personally, I like them better than Chicago (although I am quite fond of them as well).

The selections on this CD are fine if you want only the Top 40 versions rather than the definitive album versions. "Spinning Wheel" for example, fades out just as the end instrumentals start to get interesting.

Although this is a good choice for those seeking an inexpensive introduction to the group, I would recommend the albums. Virtually all of the tracks on the albums (especially "The Child is Father to the Man" and the self-titled "Blood, Sweat & Tears") are excellent and the mastering is (in my opinion) much better.

Like many CDs that appeared on the market at the beginning of this format, this one simply covered an early 11-track vinyl LP with no additional tracks included. Others of that ilk, however (e.g., Sarah Vaughan, Donovan, and some of the Elvis Presley volumes) have since been re-released after being expanded to upwards of 20 tracks. This is a candidate for that kind of upgrade.

The pop-jazz group formed in 1967 by keyboardist Al Kooper, formerly with the Royal Teens and Blue Project, also included guitarist Steve Katz from The Blues Project, drummer Bobby Colomby, and Jim Fielder on bass. But by the time of their initial hit on Columbia, Kooper had been replaced by vocalist David Clayton-Thomas, and in the spring of 1969 You've Made Me So Very Happy surged to # 2 Billboard Pop Hot 100/# 18 Adult Contemporary (AC)/# 46 R&B, clearly grabbing the attention of audiences right across the spectrum. The flip was Blues - Part II. So, too, did the follow-up Spinning Wheel, which reached # 1 AC/# 2 Hot 100/# 45 R&B in the early summer b/w More And More. For trivia buffs, that melody at the end of Spinning Wheel is the 1815 Austrian tune O Du Lieber Augustin (Did You Ever See A Lassie).

They then closed out a very successful 1969 with a Laura Nyro-penned tune, And When I Die, which became their third straight # 2 Hot 100 and also a # 4 AC b/w Sometimes In Winter. Following a seven-month absence from the charts, they returned in August 1970 with Hi-De-Ho, a # 14 on both the AC and Hot 100 charts b/w The Battle, and in October had Lucretia Mac Evil reach # 29 Hot 100/# 39 AC b/w Lucretia's reprise.

After a nine-month drought, Go Down Gamblin' hit the # 32 Hot 100 spot in August 1971 b/w Valentine's Day. and in November, Lisa, Listen To Me topped out at # 33 AC/# 73 Hot 100 b/w Cowboys And Indians. With the novelty of their unique sound beginning to fade, Clayton-Thomas left the group in 1972, being replaced by Jerry Fisher, and that fall So Long Dixie just missed the Top 40, settling for a # 44 b/w Alone.

No singles charted from there, and throughout 1973 and up to June 1974 when, with Clayton-Thomas back in the fold, Tell Me That I'm Wrong stalled at # 83 b/w Rock Reprise. A year later Got To Get You Into My Life reached # 62 Hot 100 b/w Naked Man, and in late 1976 You're The One made it to # 6 AC but could only manage a # 106 "bubble under" on the Hot 100. The flip was Heavy Blue.

This skimpy (by today's standards) release badly needs an update to include those missing hits. In the meantime, it certainly gives you 8 of their greatest hits (tracks 5, 9 and 11 were not charters), and with the insert you get two pages of liner notes in the form of excerpts from publications such as Cash Box, the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Playboy.

BS&T hits are best heard in their shorter radio edit versions that expurgate the jazzy interludes that sound nothing like the rest of the songs.

That being said, and the outstanding remastering job, and the inclusion of three worth while bonus tracks (So Long Dixie, More and More) makes this four star greatest hits a five star purchase.

It's for those who don't want the overblown What Goes Up, and only want to limit their quantity of BS&T to one CD!

Buy this and it will make you so very happy!

Blood Sweat and Tears is one of my favorite bands of any genre. So I guess I would be a big fan.

If you're a big fan of BS&T, you should not buy this CD. It doesn't have the full versions of the songs. These are the shorter versions played on the radio at the time.

For others, though, this is a great introduction to the band. It has all their hits, and they're great songs - even in the shortened versions.