Customer Reviews

Good Thing Lost: 1968-73

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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.

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!

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

I am so glad that I discovered this little known collection from the late 60's - early 70's. Almost every single cut, out of the 21 included, is brilliant. The songs are catchy and sometimes really strange. I could see this appealing to fans of Sousixie and the Banshees as well those of Abba. There is a lot of Indian influence, sitars and tablas. Evil overcoming innocence is a theme that occurs over and over. My favorite cuts are, Shadows on the Wall - a tribute to a child's bedtime thoughts, Beyond the Clouds - where a seed planted in the singers "garden" doesn't grow, There's No Blood in Bone - the song in which Marie goes maaaaaad and Where Evil Grows - "I should have steered clear of you, everytime I look at you evil grows in me". Great riffing guitars, catchy bass lines and cool tom-tom beats will hook you. The lead singer Susan Pesklevits was working the bare mid-riff long before J-Lo. I have played this CD for numerous friends and they all love it.

I have to admit that before buying this CD I knew next to nothing about the Poppy Family aside from the fact that they were Susan & Terry Jacks and had a U.S. hit with "Which Way You Goin' Billy!". This CD is fabulous! All the tracks feature the beautiful voice of Susan Jacks with Terry coming in on only one duet (not that his vocals are needed at all). The liner notes are almost worth the price of admission, with Terry Jacks, who produced and mixed the compilation, giving insightful comments on each song. He doesn't try to gloss over the couple's breakup in 1973 and even briefly mentions their reunion 23 years later.
The songs are primarily in a pop vein with the exception of a couple of nice psyche tracks; the psyche highlight being "There's No Blood In Bone" which is reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane. Buy this CD today!!! You will not regret it!!

AAAAAH reminisce and enjoy; and that's exactly what I do when I listen to Susan and Terry Jacks and The Poppy Family. Susan's voice is beautiful. To me; this CD is great. The songs, Which Way You Goin' Billy, Good Friends, I'll See You There, That's Where I Went Wrong, (both versions) and, Tryin, are my favorites and several more of their tunes on this disc are very soothing and enjoyable.
1970s, Which Way You Goin' Billy, was The Poppy Family's biggest hit in the U.S. and a big hit it was. Nothing short of brilliant. This, The Poppy Family; A Good Thing Lost: 1968-1973, is the only compilation on CD by this band so I purchased it while I still could. The sound quality is great and it is nice to be able to sit down and listen to their music once again. I believe it was money well spent. The sad part about it all is time takes it's toll on so many of the bands from days gone by. I fill lucky to have found this compilation. Music is one of only a few things that is still left from different eras and the only thing that keeps some of it from being completely forgotten is our memory.....I definitely recommend this CD!
Final Interesting Note: The beautiful song, Tryin, was originally wrote by Terry for Tammy Wynette.

I purchased this CD (and couldn't believe I found it) just to get the song "That's where I Went Wrong," that was a radio hit in Las Vegas in the early 70s. I bought "Billy" as a 45, but never got my hands on "Wrong," but still knew the words 30 years later. Those were the only two singles that I knew. I can't stop listening to this collection. The music is wonderful, and Susan's voice...well, what can anyone say about that voice.

I have found I have new Poppy favorites. "Where Evil Grows," "Tryin," and "I was Wondering" are works of art. I recommend this CD to anyone and everyone. If you're familiar with the Poppy Family, you'll love it; if you're not, you'll fall in love.

I first heard the voice of Susan Jacks in the early '70's. The Poppy Family's album was sent to the radio station I was working for in Houston and I had the pleasure of deciding which cuts would be played on the air. Many years and thousands of records have fogged my memory a bit but I'll never forget Susan's version of "Winter Milk". It was what we call a deep album cut because it was never promoted as a potential hit by the record company, nor was it played in heavy rotation. I fell in love with the song and Susan's beautiful, expressive voice the first time I auditioned the album, and it seems that we always got a number of calls whenever the song played from people wanting information on the song and it's singer. While it's true this cd has a number of better known songs to sell, "Winter Milk" says it all and is worth the price admission. I suppose Susan Jacks went to the island of lost rock singers when she and Terry split-very sad-she was truly special singer. This is the old disc jockey....signing off.

I enjoyed this collection very much. My favorite by far is "Where evil grows" with that great bassline. I discovered this song from a friend who bought it in a 10 cent promo bin. I also was pleased with the single version of "That's where I went wrong". "There's no blood in bone" features a very elaborate phasing gimmick. Susan is very gifted in the vocal department. Her voice has a certain melencollie to it and she is very underrated. "Which way you going Billy" and "I was wondering" are also fine. This cd was a big surprise.

The LP is excellent.

As with others, I grew up listening to "Canadian content" and so was very familiar with the Poppy Family and the talents of Susan and Terry Jacks. A personal favorite of mine is the "That's Where it Went Wrong" -- and other songs such as "Winter Milk" and "Just Friends". "Just Friends" is typical of the country/folk/pop/skiffle sound that's found in Canadian cross-over music of the late 60s-early 70s (a la Annie Murray).

Terry takes a vocal at "A good thing gone wrong" and does well at it. But Susan's voice is the shining light on the collection.

If there is one flaw with the LP, it is that Terry Jacks over-produced and over-mixed some of the tracks. For example, in Susan's solo chorus on "That's Where it Went Wrong" there is an irritating cricket sound mixed in the background. Other examples of this pervade the album, particularly on the earliest-recorded tracks. These detract and even sometimes irritate those who wish to listen to Susan's wonderful voice. (Where is she today?)

While the Poppy Family only had one stateside hit - the standard "Which Way You're Going, Billy?" which is included in this collection, it's still worth purchasing for the marvelous voice of Susan Jacks.

If you liked "Which Way...", and appreciated Susan as a chanteuse for that selection alone, you will truly find the rest of the LP a delight. It is unfortunate that most Americans have never heard the other tracks in this collection, because they are much more enjoyable than "Billy", even if they didn't fit into the mold of US Pop Top 40 of the era.