Good Thing Lost: 1968-73

Poppy Family | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 6, 1996)
• Original Release Date: July 30, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: What Are Records
• ASIN: B000001HZN
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,104 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #2 in Music > Indie Music > Pop > Soft Rock
  • #85 in Music > World Music > North America > Canada

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A happy re-discovery, September 28, 2003

By 

Harry Gene Neyhart "hgn2001" (Sunny Central Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good Thing Lost: 1968-73 (Audio CD)

Anyone around in 1969-1970 could hardly escape the sounds of The Poppy Family. They were played everywhere as their hit "Which Way You Goin' Billy?" soared to the top of the charts. A followup hit of "That's where I Went Wrong" didn't do as well, but it got airplay as well. After that, their single releases largely went nowhere here in the US, but those of us who remember them, do so fondly.

Buried in my large collection of LPs, it was just recently that I found both of The Poppy Family's albums. They did two: WHICH WAY YOU GOIN'BILLY and POPPY SEEDS. The first is fairly common, while the second one is much more rare. As I spun those LPs, happily re-discovering the treasures they had on them, I found a yearning to seek these tunes out on CD.

After research, I found that this collection being offered on Amazon is currently the only CD release of the great music of The Poppy Family. A GOOD THING LOST is a retrospective of the period of time in which Susan and Terry Jacks recorded together as The Poppy Family. This CD collects 10 out of 12 songs from their first album, and 6 out of 12 from their second album. In addition there's a further 5 tracks that the duo recorded -- 3 from what would've been a third album, 1 early recording, and the US single version of "That's Where I Went Wrong". It's quite a bargain and truly provides most of the best tunes these two did.

Like the Carpenters who scored most of their hits with Karen singing lead, The Poppy Family did likewise with Susan Jacks' vocals out in front. Susan's vocals are equally as expressive as Karen's, and there are times that the similarity between the two is inescapable. Quite often in this collection, you'll hear overdubs of Susan and Terry doing their own backing vocals, and the great bulk of the composing of the songs was done by Terry himself.

For this collection, Terry Jacks went back to the original recordings and expertly remastered each and every song here to bring out the best that modern sound reproduction can offer, and the songs have never sounded better.

For whatever reasons, The Poppy Family is largely forgotten about today, and this CD is all that's out there to remember them by. I recommend it highly.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 21 Savory Golden Pop Nugget Delicacies, July 9, 2005

By 

Walter Janaro (Front Royal, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good Thing Lost: 1968-73 (Audio CD)

There is no justice in this world when songs as good as these lie buried beneath a mountain of mediocre music as we listen over and over and over again to the same 300 tunes on "oldies" radio!

I recently took a chance on this CD having only an introductory knowledge of the Poppy Family (the one megahit and the three tiny followup hits). Boy, did I hit the jackpot!

There are two great things about the Poppy Family:

First, that voice! Susan Jacks, I apologize on behalf of all music lovers that we do not speak your name in the same sentence as Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Carly Simon, Karen Carpenter, etc. when discussing talented women of song.

And second, those arrangements! With almost all of the nuggets clocking in at under three minutes, Terry Jacks brilliantly succeeds at crafting some of the most unusual, haunting, and beautiful melodies that I have heard in years. Yes, you can think about the insightful lyrics but you can also contemplate the music itself and that is a rare thing in popland (the Left Banke comes to mind).

I love all of the tracks on this collection. If I was going to be stranded at sea and could only bring three tracks with me, they would be: "You Took My Moonlight Away", "I Was Wondering", and "I'll See You There" (apparently Terry's favorite song according to the liner notes).

Those savory pop nuggets are just a click away!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Poppy Family - A Musical Opiate, October 28, 2000

By 

Michael Rossillio (Lititz, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good Thing Lost: 1968-73 (Audio CD)

I have been in love with Susan Jacks and her fabulous vocal talent since I was an 8th grader in 1970. When I first heard "Which Way You Goin', Billy?" I was totally mesmerized by Susan's voice. Her vocals were so excrutiatingly sad that I wanted to find whoever this "Billy" was and kick him 'till he was dead!

When "That's Where I Went Wrong" was released, I sincerely thought this would cement their popularity in the US, but I believe it only went top 30. The releases of "Where Evil Grows," and "I Was Wondering" landed on the bottom half of the charts and the Poppy Family never charted again. What an absolute disgrace!

The songs featured on this CD include songs from both albums released in the US and several that were not available here until now. "What Can The Matter Be" is a stunning piece of music about the horrors of discrimination - way ahead of itself for its time. Listening to the lyrics of "I Was Wondering" will make you realize that truly good music survives the test of time. The song can be applied to what's happened to our social system today, as well as it did in the 70's. "Tryin'" is probably the song that showcases Susan's voice the most, with "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Good Friends" running close behind.

One additional mention - I have a VHS copy of "The Bobby Darin Show" from 1970 featuring Linda Ronstadt singing "Long, Long Time" and the Poppy Family doing "Which Way You Goin' Billy." Since video clips were years away, this tape is well worth the cost to get to see the Poppy Family performing their hit.

Don't hesitate another minute - buy this CD and I guarantee you won't regret it.

Mike Rossillio