Customer Reviews

Definitive Collection

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1970, a new singing group burst onto the American music scene, an interracial trio of Tony Orland, Telma Louise Hopkins and Joyce Vincent-Wilson. A studio creation, this trio took off with three #1 singles - Knock Three Times, Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree, and He Can't Love You Like I Love You - and even starred in their own television variety show on CBS (from 1974-76). Singing a combination of doo-wop, street Latin, and bubblegum pop, Tony Orlando & Dawn made their mark on American culture, with yellow ribbons still appearing to this day as statements of solidarity with those who are far away.

OK, let's get down to brass tacks. Tony Orlando & Dawn produced some great, bouncy little tunes that still sound really good today. Though they are sometimes dismissed as musical lightweights, they were a part of the glitzy 1970s, made-for-television music scene, but they did succeed in standing out by producing some really interesting sounds.

I got this CD purely for nostalgic reasons, but I must say that it is good beyond that. If you like good singing, with that glitzy 70s sound, then this is the album for you. I really liked it, and think that you will too!

The music of Dawn with Tony Orlando, often derided by the critics and at times dismissed even by Orlando himself, wound up being some of the most engaging pop to come out of the 70's. Beyond its massive musical appeal, their world-wide multi-million selling "Tie A Yellow Ribbon..." spawned a whole new cultural symbol in the form of yellow ribbons. Even if no musical barriers were broken here, the clever blending of Brill Building-style pop, vaudeville and Motown with polished performances makes these feel-good tunes totally fun listening.

This compilation brings together seventeen of their charted singles with one album cut thrown in. Though titled "The Definitive Collection", the rub here is that two of their Electra singles have been left off. This is both a bit surprising and annoying in that other Electra sides were cross-licensed for this piece. Grabbing those two additional singles would have truly justified the title. Beyond that shortfall, this piece still remains the best collection to date.

Sound production is excellent with the work having been done by Bob Irwin of Sundazed Music. Completing the set is a 12-page liner notes booklet with pics and an excellent recap of the group's musical life. So close to being perfect... still highly recommended.

Arista Records has a hard time fathoming the meaning of the word, "definitive." This is but one in a string of compilations for various artists that they've slapped that label on, and I have yet to hear one that is true to the word.

Like a number of acts from the original Bell Records roster, Tony Orlando & Dawn's catalog predates the advent of CDs by at least ten years. Of course, by 1984 (or thereabouts) most of these acts were profoundly un-hip to like or listen to. That may explain why it has taken so long for Arista (and other labels) to re-issue similar material, but it doesn't explain how such compilations fail to "define" the works of a singer or group.

Case in point: Bell/Arista released at least five original albums by Orlando & Dawn between '69 and '75. Of these, only the first three albums are well-represented here. "Prime Time" and "Skybird" were pretty catchy albums, but each of them is represented by one track here. Maybe "hit singles" are 'defining moments', in Arista's view, but there is a lot of great material that got passed over for the sake of including all the hits.

Similarly, the group's first Elektra album ("He Don't Love You...") is poorly represented (two cuts) and not a single track from "To Be With You" made the cut. "Cupid" was a Top 40 hit with an inventive arrangement, and the group's cover of "Midnight Love Affair" was also a keeper....but they're nowhere to be found. This is label laziness at it's most annoying, and I can't blame any fan who feels cheated by relevant omissions.

On the plus side, as I said, all the (Bell/Arista) hit singles are here. The earliest tracks are the simplest and perhaps the most effective; the Brill Building influence is very much in evidence. It also struck me how '70s-Urban these tracks sound...maybe not a 'multi-cultural' musical touchstone, but definitely a latin/soul/pop synthesis that produced some compelling material.

This "streetwise" influence faded with time, though the Medress/Appel productions continued to be tuneful and fairly intricate. Starting with "Dawn's New Ragtime Follies" and the inevitable "Tie A Yellow Ribbon...", the group veered for the middle of the road and never left. This is also due to the success of their TV variety show, where they were expected to clown around as much as they sang. Reduced to a guilty pleasure for fans, it's unlikely they would have survived the '70s if Tony hadn't already quit.

Still, even as frothy Pop music, Orlando and Dawn were competent and very listenable. And while there is reason to dispute the title of this collection, there is much to recommend in it. My favorites include "Summer Sand," "I Play and Sing," "Steppin' Out" and "Skybird." Fans who only know the group's biggest hits should be pleased by the lesser knowns here, like "Mornin' Beautiful" and "Carmen." The group's cover medley of "Runaway" and "Happy Together" pales in comparison to the original single versions, but that's about the only "stiff" in this collection.

As a sampler, this CD is more than adequate for providing hits. As a comprehensive collection of the group's "best," it is flawed, but not useless. A two disc collection would have been a blessing, particularly if Arista unearthed some genuine rarities. Since it's unlikely that a real "definitive" collection is in the works, Orlando & Dawn fans will have to be happy with this CD.

-Mic

This album contains some of the most loved songs from one of the most beloved acts of all time. All but one of the Bell/Arista singles are here, and two of the Elektra hits are included. Tony Orlando & Dawn's amazing versatility is weel displayed here. From Latin-flavored pop to ragtime/swing to disco to R&B, this set has it. The Definitive Collection will leave you wanting more Tony Orlando & Dawn.

This trio sang easy listening pop songs, scoring hits in Britain, America and elsewhere with some great songs. Tony had some success in the early sixties, when he had an American hit with Halfway to Paradise (a British hit for Billy Fury) and a British top five hit with Bless you. Neither of those songs is included in this compilation, which focuses exclusively on the trio's music from the seventies. Joyce Vincent and Thelma Hopkins, both of whom had previous experience as backup singers with Motown, completed the trio.

Tie a yellow ribbon has become a classic. It was adopted as an anthem for Vietnam veterans and the use of yellow ribbons to symbolize homecomings has become something of a tradition around the world. The practice did not exist before this song was written, so it shows how music influences life in all sorts of ways.

Their other great hits, all featured here, include Knock three times, Candida, What are you doing Sunday, Say has anybody seen my sweet Gypsy Rose and Who's in the strawberry patch with Sally.

If you like easy listening pop of the early seventies by groups like the New Seekers, you should enjoy this.

Only a complete loser would not like Tony Orlando & Dawn and these classic songs from the 70's. There's a variety of styles to their music. They changed from pop bubblegum to ragtime music to slick R&B/pop in the years 1970-1976. SING should be on here(from 1977) it was their last charting single before Tony decided to leave the act. They had a hit variety show in the mid seventies(it's shown on cable today on the GOODLIFE network)which proves that they had a mass appeal to the world and the talent to back it up! TIE A YELLOW RIBBON is what they probably are best remembered for today but it's not their best song in my opinion. HE DON'T LOVE YOU(LIKE I LOVE YOU)(#1 in '75) is my favorite. STEPPIN' OUT(Gonna boogie tonight) is the first 45rpm I remember buying as a kid also holds a special place in my heart. It would be nice to have the original albums released on CD but this collection will do until that time comes.

i was hoping that someone would finally come up with a complete TONY ORLANDO AND DAWN singles collection,and by its title you might think that this cd will do exactly that.well it does ,if you want the BELL/ARISTA singles.but there are a few singles missing here,as a matter of fact,most of the groups ELECTRA singles are not included.why cant we get a complete singles package????.now this is one of the best hits collection for the group but it seems unfinished with missing tracks such as CUPID,MIDNIGHT LOVE AFFAIR,SING,YOURE ALL I NEED TO GET BY.and maybe even the TO BE WITH YOU title track that was considered for a single and then not released.any of these songs would be a good addition to this collection.they did include a song CARMEN a UK single from 1971......but here in the us this was not a single but ,it wasnt even a hit in uk!i would have preferred the rare track SPARK OF LOVE IS KINDLIN.WELL,if you are a toad fan,you wont have to wait for long as the original bell lps are finally being released on cd for the groups 35th anniversary this june and the elektra lps soon there after,.. along with the groups 3 dvd collection from their tv show.now we will get the ULTIMATE COLLECTION!

Some people would dismiss Tony &co. as an example of 70s kitsch. In a way, it is and the appeal of this may jut be nostalgia for us who were there at the time and enjoyed their television show as children.

But overall, this stuff goes down quite smoothly. Most of the well-remembered tunes are here,"Candida," "Tie a Yellow Ribbon," "Knock 3 Times," etc. But if you were there at the time, you'll really appreciate the rarities such as "Steppin Out (Gonna Boogie Tonight)," (to this day, I hum this whenever I'm about to go on a date) and the lovely "Morning Beautiful. " BTW-the album cover comes from a segment on their TV show where they performed the latter tune.

What would people born after 1980 make of this? I have no idea. But for those of us who were there, it is mighty sweet.

This compilation has some great songs which most of us all know, but it could not have been "Definitive" of Tony Orlando's work unless they had acquired Tony BEFORE Dawn singing "Halfway to Paradise", much as it would not be definitive of Dawn without "Such An Easy Evil" (I think) being sung by Telma and Joyce before Tony. It's definitely worth having but "definitive"?; not quite.

This is indeed the definitive collection of Tony Orlando and Dawn.
With hits such as "Candida," "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," and "Knock Three Times," it is huge!

Also little known smashes such as "Sunday Afternoon," "Sweet Gypsy Rose," and "He Don't Love You," this is a true connection to the '70's.