Customer Reviews

Crazy Horses/The Plan

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In Crazy Horses and The Plan, The Osmonds began their departure from the bubblegum music they were known for and started to seriously rock!!!

They wrote their own songs.

Something that they had wanted to do for a long time but was held back by their handlers at their time.

Their lyrics were contemplative and sophisicated.

"The Plan" is what Alan Osmond called "The Concept Album".

It talked about revelations and last days, about wars, about God, about who are we, where are we here, and where are we heading.

It was an album of serious reflections.

"Crazy Horses" was well known for its pollution issue and on that note, the Osmonds were well ahead of their time.

That song has since been covered by many other bands and it demonstrates that The Osmonds, while many were still so unwilling to give them their due credit, so many were still so willing to imitate.

Buy this cd before it become unavailable like the original releases.

When I heard that the Osmonds back catalogue was finally to be released on CD I was overjoyed. However, over the last few years I've been badly let down by supposed 'remasters' of other artists older titles, so until I actually heard the Osmonds albums, I couldn't get my hopes up too much...

Well, 'Crazy Horses/The Plan' is the first of the batch to arrive and I have to say I couldn't be happier. I haven't heard the former album in years so in anticipation of the CD I played the vinyl album recently and was amazed to discover how good it still is and that I could remember all the lyrics!

The sound is excellent on 'Horses' and even more so on 'The Plan'. I have the superb 2001 Curb release which sounded pretty good but it's even better here. Really crisp and clear. Of course, with albums of this vintage, it's not entirely perfect. I heard the odd 'dropout' here and there (on the first line of 'Crazy Horses' and the last line of 'Goin' Home' stood out) but they've still done a brilliant job and I doubt anyone will be disappointed.

Sleeve artwork is decent with a biog of the group and the story behind both albums along with a few old 7" picture sleeves. All the original LP artwork isn't there, though.

So, one down, hopefully lots more to go! I'm really looking forward to the rest, particularly Donny's and this is a wonderful start.

Finally! The Brothers' fourth and fifth studio albums, respectively, The Crazy Horses/The Plan disc represents, by far, the most sophisticated music of the band to that point. I remember being caught off-guard the first time I listened to the Crazy Horses LP, listening a second and third time to be sure I'd heard right the first time. This was defintely NOT J-5 Lite or teenybopper bubblegum. Even now, listening to the entire album for the first time in over 30 years, the organic feel seems very honest and pure, from a band playing just because it feels good to play. Everybody recognizes "Crazy Horses", with its classic organ intro, driving rhythm, and signature guitar riff, and the chugging opening bars of "Hold Her Tight" (perhaps borrowed from Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song", although the melody's power pop sound and lyrics take the song in a different direction), but there are several other hidden gems here. Borderline country-rocker "Life is Hard Enough Without Goodbyes", with Merrill's rapsy lead vocal, haunting guitar intro and hook, and the longing of the harmony vocals, should've been released as a single (or at least covered by the Eagles). The tender ballad "And You Love Me" captures the euphoria of being in love while showing admirable restraint, and "Utah" is a partying garage-band homage to their home state. "That's My Girl" might almost be a love song from a father to a daughter. The only throwaway in the bunch is "Julie", which ends the LP on a weaker note than it deserves, but the point of "Big Finish" is well-taken. The days of "One Bad Apple" are long gone.

The Plan was reissued a few years back, but its inclusion with Crazy Horses on this cd makes sense, for it helps show this inexplicably underrated band at its creative zenith. A concept album, The Plan reflects the band's spiritual journey, although the lyrics on most of the songs are ambiguous enough to be interpreted in a secular way. "Let Me In" showcases Merrill's soaring lead tenor over a lush arrangement of background harmony, while "One Way Ticket to Anywhere" is driven forward by Jay's insistent drumming and gruff (and underused) lead vocal. "Darlin'" is arguably one of the greatest pop love songs ever recorded. Wayne's baritone lead and foreboding guitar perfectly suit the dark, apocolyptic "Last Days", which is immediately followed by the hopeful, breezy "Goin' Home".

The packaging and notes are a notch above previous Osmond reissues, which is appropriate considering this is a milestone year for the Osmonds as an entertainment icon. The sound quality is excellent (I believe these tracks were taken from the original masters, although that's not obvious from the notes).

I never heard the complete CRAZY HORSES album in it's entire form until 1985! I found it at a flea market and immediately loved it. It's definitely different than previous albums and their first that's really OSMOND-LIKE to me. The title song has been one of my favorite songs since I was a toddler. Hold her tight is also a rocking goodtime song that the brothers wrote. They wrote all of these songs and are truly amazing talents and performers. This is a great party album.
The Plan was a religious personal album for the family and I'm sure it's the Osmonds personal favorite. It is a great, inspirational album. Although, there are many uptempo rocking songs. This is an example of early christian rock... I'm not a Mormon, but can relate to the songs. "let me in" should have been a big hit for them in America. It's a beautiful song. Goin home reminds me of a "Crazy horses" sound and was a minor hit in America in the summer of '73. "Movie man" is a great song with a message. It was a #1 in France. I highly recommend buying this set of classic Osmonds from the early seventies-it's the beginning of many classics to come.

Love these two albums to one CD releases. They were experimenting here but these are good albums if you like vocal groups.

I have been listening to both of these records since I was a wee lad, back in the 1970's, playing drums to them with my headphones on, thinking that this was the coolest stuff I had ever heard. I still love it, and it's finally been released on CD. I had already owned a copy of "The Plan" (the "infamous" - in Osmond-loving circles - Mormon-themed "Concept"-album) on CD that was released back in the late 90's, but, for some unknown reason, Crazy Horses - an album, which, in my opinion, is their best effort, ever - never got any love, digitally speaking. I finally broke down a few years back and took my old LP and ripped it onto my computer, just so I could make a CD to listen to in my car (I was damned if I was going to pay $200.00 for an import), so now, I'm overjoyed that they finally decided to release all this stuff on CD. I think it's considerate to the fans that they doubled-up the albums, to give a better value, rather than gouge people by releasing them individually. I have to say honestly, though - I'm not really all that impressed with the production in the re-mastering of the albums. True, the original albums are kind of tame in the way they were mixed, but you'd think that - now that they were going to scour the vaults for all the albums to be re-released - they'd give it some more love and really re-mix these to have some more punch and heavier mastering. I would love to hear the track, "Crazy Horses", with some more teeth, sonically speaking. It seems as though they just did the bare minimum (like they did back when CD's first came out) and just tossed the mixes up on the board, cleaned them up minimally, and just put them out. I'm not saying they sound bad, I would've just liked them to sparkle and punch a bit more.

For all those not familiar with these two awesome albums, take everything you know (or think you know) about the Osmonds - the white teeth, the big smiles, the perfect hair, the squeaky-clean image - and throw it out the window, because these two albums ROCK. My favorite thing - as a professional musician, playing in rock bands for over twenty years - was to play these albums for my fellow musician friends, not tell them who it was, and when they were completely blown away at how much they rocked, divulge the surprise answer, only to have them blown away even more.

These albums mark the Osmonds desire (Much like the Beach Boys and The Sweet before them)to show the world that they were not mere Top-40, Pop/bubblegum puppets, propped up by some Svengali to dance like little monkeys for the masses. These albums were written and performed by all of the brothers (save Jimmy) and the level of musical aptitude displayed here is pretty impressive. Jay's inspired drumming, Donny's Synthesizer and keyboard wizardry, Merril's blood-curdling vocal wails, Alan's creaky, basso-vocal moans - all punctuating the brother's proof that they can rock as tight and as hard as any contemporary band of the time - as well as write and perform expertly-written Pop-Rock songs - all come together to form these two unexpected bookends of rock by a band that started out as toddlers, singing 5-part, Barbershop harmonies at Disneyland with Andy Williams back in the 60's.

Crazy Horses is the best Osmond album. All the songs are great. The Plan also has many great songs. These albums were not bubble gum like most of Donny's - they are good rock songs on these and worth checking out!

Years after wearing out the vinyl and tapes...FINALLY on CD, and not a bootleg...YEA !!! Crazy Horses is my favorite Osmond album, but I love them all. I am hoping they will all be on CD eventually. This collection is the real deal !!! Do not get the boots that are still lingering out there. Enjoy and Stay2nd !!!

I'm very happy to have these recordings on Cd now. I liked every song on these albums that were not put on any of the greatest hits compilations. Great to have all my favorite old music!!!

Yes I am a guy and I like the Osmonds! Growing up I've always enjoyed the Osmonds, though I didn't know much about them. When I was a kid my sister would make me dress up and we would pretend to be Donny and Marie. I didn't mind since it gave me a chance to jump on my parent's bed as we pretended that it was a stage and we were performing our own concert.
Over the years, however, I always thought of the Osmonds as a cover band. I knew Donny's "Puppy Love" had been recorded earlier by several other artists that had hits with it, as well as most of Donny and Marie's music. Then when I moved to utah and met several of the Osmonds (Mostly the second generation) did I realize that they were a true rock band! They wrote their own songs! Performed their own music! Released their own albums! And pretty much all of it were far superior to most cover tunes. And these two albums are it! "Crazy Horses" and "The Plan."
Surprisingly, Alan is the best song writer of all time! Just listen if you don't believe me.