Customer Reviews

Golden Classics

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

 

 

The Friends of Distinction were a group that paved the way from
soul into pop & jazz, without sacrificing soul. They were a transitional group that has not received the credit they deserve. They were followed by the Fifth Dimension which continued the pop,rock,soul,jazz transmutation in music. The Fifth Dimension received popularity & accolades, however the 'Friends' should NOT be dismissed. Their harmonies & musical style
should be noted! I love the 'Friends of Distinction' & the Fifth Dimension - the groups are similar. Check out the 'Friends' & you will
hear what I mean. I actually performed: "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" in a College Jazz/Pop group! "Going in Circles" is another great 'Friends' song. - Penny Music MAma

Founded by Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, the group entered the charts with the 5 following hits (wich are all included in the CD):
- Grazing in the Grass
- Going in Circles
- Love or Let Me Be Lonely
- Time Waits for No One
- I Need You

First, let's make something perfectly clear. Allow me to break it down for you:

1. Great Group (of course!)
2. Great Songs (Grazing in the Grass, Going In Circles, Love or Let me be Lonely are my absolute favorites!)
3. Great Times (with music of th Late 60's and Early 70's - simple, honest and real!)

The rest of the songs are decent, but I rate this disc 5 stars by the strength of the three songs previously mentioned.

Biased? Most definitely!

My rating: Five Stars!!

Let me start by saying that I give the music on this disc 4 stars. The Friends of Distinction are an important and often-overlooked link in the soul/pop landscape of the 60s/70s. I cannot add too much about them that hasn't been written here already.

That having been said, this disc, along with any other CD, cassette, or record made by Collectables Records, IS TO BE AVOIDED.

This disc features the muddy sound quality that Collectables has become known for. Even worse than that, the track listing on the case is COMPLETELY WRONG. Just for example; "Grazin' In The Grass" is listed as track 6...it is actually track 4. Collectables' quality control is SO POOR, they managed to release a CD which does not even have accurate track listings.

Everyone makes mistakes, right? Yes, it's true. However, not everyone makes mistakes as consistently as Collectables does. On the re-issue CD for Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes, for instance, the album abruptly cuts off at the end; right in the middle of the last song. Also, once again, the track listing on that CD also shows several individual tracks that are actually grouped together on the CD AS ONE TRACK.

I hate to say all of this, because Collectables is one of the last record labels in the country that are still independently owned. On top of that, they have re-issued a lot of things that otherwise would never have seen the light of day again. I give them credit for that...but if you're not going to do it right, why do it? You are doing a great service to old music when you try and keep it alive, but if you screw it up in the process, if defeats the purpose. I can burn CDs on my outdated laptop that sound better and are better organized than what these people produce. If I can do it, why can't they? The fact is, serious audiophiles and casual vintage music lovers alike have been avoiding Collectables for years.

If you would like a good Friends of Distinction compilation CD, I recommend the one released by RCA. It has more tracks, they sound better, and you get full artwork in the case instead of an ad on the inside for a catalog inviting you to buy more poorly-made CDs. The RCA disc costs a little bit more, but you get what you pay for, believe me.