Customer Reviews

Essentials

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4 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
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Harry Chapin is one of the few artists for which his music will always speak better than any mere review. Harry would have been a minstrel in medieval times. He would have been in vaudeville in the last century. He enjoyed performing before live audiences. His art did not translate as well to recorded media; while good, he was much better live. Harry was a story teller. He enjoyed singing about the irony of life, sometimes with a serious tone, and other times, with a good bit of humor.

As other reviewers have noted, the Gold Medal Collection presents two disks as compared to this one CD. However, the Gold Medal Collection also costs substantially more. So if you are on a budget, this CD is a bargain way to get a good cross-section of Harry's music. Note also that this CD contains nearly 74 minutes worth of music, thus this CD represents a very good bargain.

My personal three favorites are included on this CD: "Taxi," "Sequel," which could be called "Taxi - Part 2," and my all-time Chapin favorite, "Cat's in the Cradle." Had Harry stopped writing music after these three songs, he would have instantly been considered one of the great singer-songwriters of all time. Of course, Harry wrote many more songs, adding more excellent stories and songs to confirm his ability and place in music.

"Sunday Morning Sunshine" reminds me a bit of Harry Nilsson. The music sounds like pop fluff, but the story is Harry's story, that of a wandering performer with the blues, and the love of his life sends rays of sunshine to scatter those blues. Poignant lyrics contrasted by very light music.

"W*O*L*D" was the first Chapin song that caught my attention many years ago. While the song was frequently played on pop stations, the lyrics tell a story of someone who has been in the radio business for a long time, a story of what happens in life. The story is relevant for all times, but was even truer in the 60s and 70s when we seemed to be such a youth-driven society. The story follows what has happened to the singer as he has moved from one job to the next, and how he is perceived by his listeners, and how he longs for the love he once had, and lost.

"I Wanna Learn a Love Song" is a story of true love, and of a boy growing up to be a man. I am unable to do justice to this song with my words. You are better off listening to the song, reading the lyrics, and getting into to the story yourself.

"A Better Place to Be" is a great story, the story of a lonely watchman and either a poignant tale of an incredible night with a beautiful woman, or one of the great pickup lines of all time, or both. The watchman tells this story to a waitress about having a great night with a beautiful woman, and how it ended with her leaving when he went out to get breakfast, and as she wipes away a tear, the song sets up the watchman's next night with the waitress, and the cycle continues.

"Dreams Go By" is a story of opportunities missed, and the realization as we've grown old, that it's too late to realize those dreams. The music is upbeat, with a flavor of music from early in the last century, but the upbeat tone is deceptive, because the song is about loss.

"Sniper" is the story of Charles Whitman, focusing on September 1, 1966, when Charles climbed into the bell tower on the University of Texas, and either killed or wounded 47 people before being shot by police. The song suggests reasons for how Whitman became as he did, and the point of what Whitman did. This song is nearly 10 minutes long, and uses a variety of techniques to tell the story, from the newsy voice Harry uses to represent the media, to the petulant voice of the sniper himself, to the drums that provide the representation of the bullets. While the song may appear to be gimmicky from this description, it is a masterpiece of story telling.

The song "30,000 Pounds of Bananas" is one of Harry's more humorous songs, and yet it has such a sad ending. A song that would have made a great country song except for its nearly eleven minute length, it tells the story of a truck driver anxious to get home driving a truck full of bananas, losing control of the truck and crashing. The song has three endings in this live version, and though the topic is serious and sad, Harry makes the ending funny.

The final song on this collection is "Remember When the Music - Reprise." Of course the inclusion of this song was intended to be a statement about Harry's life and music, telling of times gone by. In this song, the times gone by include more than just thinking about how things were simpler, it includes beliefs, and truth, and values.

Harry Chapin was a master story teller in song. His songs were of a style sung by artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, Arlo Guthrie, and Randy Newman. While it seems easy to say his music was similar to those other artists, Harry let the story go where it needed to go, forsaking time limits and modern song construction. His styling truly harkened back to times gone by. There was, and always will be, only one Harry Chapin.

I agree with the previous people. If you want a great range of Harry Chapin's songs, get the Gold Medal Collection. However, this CD is fabulous - like is every other one of his CD's. He's gentle and powerful and passionate and he is an inspiration to all singers and artists of any kind. He truly loved singing. He's the type of singer who would sing even if there were no money in it. This CD is a good collection of songs, however some are omitted that I wouldn't omit. :) I recommend buying ALL of his albums.

Essentials gives you 12 self-penned songs from one of popular musics great storytellers and humanitarians. While Chapin had only four bona fide hits, you get a generous sampling of key album tracks and concert favorites. [The only glaring omission is "Circle."] Unlike other releases in The Essentials series which all limit song selection to 12 tracks and consequently a relatively short playing time, with tracks like "Sniper" (9:57) and "30,000 Pounds of Bananas" (10:58), you get over 70 minutes of music. RECOMMENDED

This is a nice cd. But the GOLD MEDAL COLLECTION ( 2 CDs) gives you a much better feel for his music. Better range and some good stories. If 20 years since his death you are looking for a "essential collection" get the GOLD METAL it is a much much better place to be.

The late Harry Chapin had few peers in the seventies. Like Jim Croce and Harry Nilsson, Chapin was a troubadour in the storyteller's tradition. At his best, he spun tales of folksy everymen gone down on their luck ("Taxi" and "WOLD"). He could also go all out cinematic, like the 10-plus minutes of "Sniper," which could be one of the weirdest songs ever recorded by a so-called folk artist. (And one of the most disturbing I-hate-my-parents howls this side of The Door's "The End.")

But he also had a sanctimonious streak that could turn downright corny (his biggest hit, "Cat's In The Cradle") or treacley at its worst - the pointless "Sequel." But Chapin was - like many storytellers - best experienced live. I got to see him play one of his many benefit shows, at Susquehanna University in 1980. The crowd heartily joined in for "30,000 Pounds Of Bananas," which is presented here live, as it should be.

Chapin's baritone voice barrels out atop the songs, richly expressive for every song here. Like Jim Croce, Chapin's voice was instantly recognizable and his writing style very much of his own personality. He drew from both folk and tin-pan-alley, with songs like "Remember When The Music" and sentimental fare like "Dreams Go By" being the stuff of stage musicals.

I am not the huge fan here that some claim to be, so I think this is all the Harry Chapin I - a casual listener - would need. The only song I really see as missing is "Circles," but for the budget price, I can live with that omission. Worth it for the 72 minutes of music; for a change, one of the "Essentials" discs in the Rhino series that lives up to its name.

Brings back so many memories from the 70's. My friend had tickets for the concert the night he died, and still has them.

Sorry Harry but your songs did not age well at all. Taxi is the only thing here worth listening to. W*O*L*D could be the worst song of all time. Wow, can't believe how bad this is. Avoid this mess.

Harry Chapin was a man in his own league. His own style of music with lessons in life. 'Cat In The Cradle' is a perfect example.

Harry Chapin was a talented singer and songwriter and this album contains some of the best of his work.

Years later Harry Chapin is still the greatest. The stories of life he tells are wonderful. I can picture every line in my head. One of my favorites.