Customer Reviews

Dance With Me: The Best of Orleans

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I always liked Orleans, they had great harmonizing and their songs were catchy. This collection includes the hits "Dance With Me", "Time Passes On", "Let There Be Music", "Still The One" and "Love Takes Time" to name a few. I don't know why some reviewers are so down on this Orleans collection giving it as low as one star. Come on this cd is a heck of alot better than that. This collection takes songs from the albums "Orleans", "Let There Be Music", "Waking And Dreaming" and "Forever". Orleans style was a combination of folk and country rock. Groups comparable to Orleans could be Firefall (as one reviewer has mentioned), and Poco. This collection has also been nicely remastered and includes a fifteen page booklet with colorful photos and information on Orleans. If you enjoy seventies rock, this would make a nice addition to your collection.

Rhino has become synonymous with great, well remastered rejuvenation of classic artistes and their classic albums and most of the time, they get it right. However, although the track selections are brilliant and with 20 tracks on one disc you are getting great value for money and great liner notes written by members of the band themselves, the usually brilliantly remastered sound quality that you'd expect from a Rhino album just isn't here on this album. The sound quality is okay but not as good as most of their other projects. Still, this is the one (pun intended)to get if you are looking for the best compilation of Orleans that is currently out there. While they have been compared with other bands like Poco and Firefall, Player and Ambrosia, I'd say they rank behind Ambrosia in terms of quality but way ahead of the others mentioned. Very good soft 70's style rock if you like that genre; if you like what you hear on this album, may I also recommend to you "Anthology" by Ambrosia which is one heck of a great album.

Its difficult to pigeon hole Orleans music. From a country rock "Eagles" flavour to the folk inspired songs of "America", Orleans filled the niche somewhere in between. John Hall's Orleans started out with a tune called "Let There be Music" and then co wrote "Dance With me" and "Still the One" with his wife. "Love takes Time" was the last big hit but there are other songs on this compilation that are just as good if you familiarize yourself with them. Enjoy.

This Collection ROCKS! So what if a couple of tunes are single edits, it's got all the hits AND "Half Moon", to mention nothing of "Love Takes Time" which any fan of Orleans harmonies should want in their collection. All it's missing is "If" from the very early days. Worth the money!

THIS CD IS A COMPILATION OF ORLEANS' FIRST TWO ALBUMS AND DOES INCLUDE SOME WEAKER TRACKS. THE BEST KNOWN TRACKS, "DANCE WITH ME" AND "STILL THE ONE" HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY LEAST FAVORITE. THEY PALE IN COMPARISON TO "WAKING AND DREAMING" (THE TITLE CUT OF THE SECOND ALBUM ON VINYL), "COLD SPELL," AND, "LOVE TAKES TIME."

I ALSO THINK THAT THE FACT THAT JANIS JOPLIN RECORDED JON HALL'S, "HALF MOON" WAS NO SMALL ACCOMPLISHMENT.

FINALLY, I CAUGHT THEIR ACT AS THE WARM UP BAND TO JACKSON BROWNE IN BINGHAMTON, N.Y. IN THE '70'S. JACKSON BROWNE THOUGHT ENOUGH OF THEIR TALENT TO BRING THEM OUT ON STAGE TO JOIN IN A THUNDERING, HOUSE LEVELLING, ENCORE JAM.

I forgot about this group but really enjoyed their music at bele chere music festival in asheville,nc in July. I enjoy all the selections on this cd and it is great to rediscover another group from my early years. The songs are all original and price was right. You can't go wrong with this cd.

This anthology of Orleans, the New York pop-rock band led by guitarist-singer-activist John Hall (now a U.S. Congressperson) and brothers Larry (guitar-vocals-keyboards) and Lance (bass-vocals) Hoppen, is the band's best single CD, featuring a cross-section of their ABC, Elektra/Asylum, and Infinity/MCA years. The best songs here are the folky "Dance With Me", the hard-rocking "Let There Be Music", the Allman Brothers-influenced "Still The One" (which sounds like it could have worked on that band's BROTHERS AND SISTERS album), and the post-Hall rocker "Love Takes Time." The surviving members' (Wells Kelly, RIP) belief that the young Australian tourist jailed in Indonesia since 2005 for drug-smuggling was falsely convicted makes this CD an essential purchase for both your ears AND your conscience.

I learned about Orleans on the Colbert Report's "better know a challenger" when Stephen Colbert interviewed John Hall, who was just elected to congress! I am suprised that I actually recognize some of these songs, but I just ordered this CD and am looking forward to hearing more of John Hall's music.

I actually watched John Halls' victory party live on a local news program, and he broke into song during his victory speech- he has an incredible voice! Then, after the election, he returned to the Colbert Report and performed the national anthem with Stephen Colbert. truly impressive! I expect his congressional career will be equally impressive!

For those who don't know, John Hall, one of the founders of Orleans, has just been elected to the U.S.Congress. Congratulations!! As Stevie Ray Vaughan would say, "the House is rocking."

Great good music and many styles...incredible versatility of this group...from mid-70s to lates 80s. You won't be dissapointed. If you like good music get this one. Enjoy....