Customer Reviews

Gold

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John Stewart originally made a name for himself as a member of the Kingston trio, who had their biggest hit (Tom Dooley) before he joined them. John was with them for six years, but this collection concentrates on the music he recorded after he went solo.

The set begin with five tracks from California bloodlines, one of his best albums and ends with three tracks from Airdream believer, recorded around a quarter of a century later. During that time, John recorded for several different labels so putting this compilation together must have taken considerable effort and determination.

As a songwriter, the most successful song of John's was Daydream believer, a huge hit for the Monkees in 1967. Anne Murray's cover of the song was a hit in the late seventies. John recorded the song more than once, but the version on this collection is the one he recorded in the nineties. It's great to have one of John's own versions of the song but although he does it well, somehow it doesn't quite fit in - the rest of John's music is folk, albeit with other influences, whereas Daydream believer is a lightweight, fun, pop-country song. Of the remaining songs, Gold was his biggest American hit and his only (minor) British hit, while Midnight wind and Lost her in the sun provided further American hits.

John clearly has fans within the music business as the backing vocalists who have occasionally supported him include Linda Ronstadt, Rosanne Cash and two members of Fleetwood Mac (Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham), while Nanci Griffith recorded a duet with him, Sweet dreams will come - it first appeared on her album, Little love affairs.

As with all compilations, it is always possible to argue about what's left out (one track missing is his horse racing song, Let the big horse run) but this is the most comprehensive collection of his music that is available - and it's brilliant.

I have been a John Stewart fan ever since he replaced Dave Guard with the Kingston Trio. John Stewart is a comparatively unsung performer whose number of albums and quality of music challenges the redoubtable Gordon Lightfoot. I feel that "John Stewart Gold" is just that, gold, and is a remarkable collection of music by a remarkable artist.

Until this CD was released the only way to get Stewart's late 70's hits on the RSO label was to look for "Bombs Away Dream Babies" and then pay a steep price. "Best of..." has the tracks singles collectors will be looking for from that period: "Gold", "Midnight Wind" and "Lost Her In the Sun".

Mr. Stewart wrote few "hit" songs after going solo at the end of his time with The Kingston Trio, but he penned many, many, listenable and singable efforts. Most of his best work is somewhere within this 41-track double CD. Probably best-known for "Daydream Believer" which the Monkees of all people took to the top of the charts, that song is no better than a dozen others on here, most of which are only known to his long-time fans. If you like John, and do not have much of his work on CD already, be sure to hunt up this one. I found it in a used bargain bin at my chain music outlet the other day, for a wonderful price. John died earlier this year, and he deserved a career with more sales than he achieved during his lifetime. You can stick "Gold" in your car CD player and have a wonderful two-hour drive, then do it again the next day and not get tired of his music.