Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits

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

 

 

Curb's one disc compilation of Bob Welch's solo catalog(originally on Capitol) has some great musical moments, and that'sabout all I can say for the CD. The collection is thrown together without regard to chronology, annotation or creativity. Welch's first five (solo) chart singles (from "French Kiss" and "Three Hearts") are here, plus the failed single "Don't Rush The Good Things" (from "Man Overboard"). The remaining four songs are seemingly chosen at random from Bob's Capitol Records days. Of these four, only "The Girl Can't Stop" is worthy of inclusion in a "best of." This disc is obviously the product of a one-off licensing arrangement....a "bargain" priced CD designed to be a cut-out special or impulse buy. Since they had permission to sample from Bob's four Capitol lps, it's baffling why Curb neglected all three singles from "The Other One": "Rebel Rouser," "Future Games" and "Don't Let Me Fall." After "Church" (Summer of '79), none of Welch's singles cracked the Top 40, but those four singles would have made the "greatest hits" label an honest one. This is not a bad collection by any stretch, even though some of Curb's choices are lame. Fans are better off buying the Rhino Records collection, the "Best of Bob Welch," which is similarly priced. The Rhino compilation has decent annotation and a more representative selection of songs, spanning Welch's days with Paris up until early '91. The only material it is lacking is from Bob's two albums for RCA Records.

This is not the time or place to go into the political foibles of the former California lieutenant governor; however, Mike Curb's product from his CD label (Curb Records, natch) have a tendency to be (very) brief affairs, and in this aspect Bob Welch Greatest Hits doesn't disappoint. With only ten songs and a running time of barely 30 minutes, Greatest Hits doesn't do much for Bob Welch's reputation as an eclectic guitarist and songwriter, unless you count the cover of the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly To Me" (with six solo albums' worth of material to choose from this selection is certainly a head scratcher). The very brief liner notes are pretty silly, too.

Anyway, like the reviewer below me, for newbies I recommend the Rhino anthology; for a couple of bucks more you get a far better song selection with more songs and good notes, and with sound quality where you don't have to crank the volume to eleven to get some enjoyment out of your stereo, despite the fact that this CD is three years NEWER.

Keep the peace.

BOB WELCH-GREATEST HITS: Bob Welch bridged the musical gap betwixt Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green-helmed blooze-saturated beginnings and the snappy, crackly pop of the Lindsey Buckingham mega-years. Best remembered for Big Mac's groove-happy classic HYPNOTIZED and the aching SENTIMENTAL LADY, the singer/guitarist scored straight out of the solo chute via the ethereal album FRENCH KISS. That dandy debut boasted a smartly streamlined LADY remake (again featuring sweet vocal colorization from Christine McVie), plus the infectious follow up hits EBONY EYES and HOT LOVE, COLD WORLD. Later discs yielded diminishing returns, though the irresistably catchy THREE HEARTS and the Top 40 shoe-in PRECIOUS LOVE remain highlights. Welch may be a "Where Are They Now" candidate these days, but this brief anthology showcases an underrated artist with integrity, charm, and chops to spare.

RATING: THREE HEARTS

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

The Curb Records "Greatest Hits" of Bob Welch is put together with the least amount of thought for good results. If you notice the three songs the non Bob Welch fanatic would know and seek are not only on the release but the opening trio of tunes on the CD (Sentimental Lady, Ebony Eyes, and Precious Love). Bob Welch deserves more then 10 songs as a representation of his work.

Bob Welch's career ranging from Fleetwood Mac, the short lived Paris, and his solo material cries out for better treatment. With only ten tunes to digest, it is a walking advertisement for choosing a fatter sampling of his guitar playing and songwriting skills. How about a hint? The ways to indoctrinate yourself to more of his material before you make a decision about which studio albums to purchase is easy. RHINO! Their release has 16 tunes and includes the two rockers "Black Book" and "B666" that is necessary when sampling his work.

Budget compilations are an oxymoron at times. They can entice you with a good price but actually hurt the artist by not giving enough of their creativity to help cultivate the future fan. Rhino puts you in the better position with their marketing philosophy. The hits and radio tunes are there to give you comfort but with a myriad of songs you may find enough that are delectable to purchase something from his catalog.

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

What impresses me most about this album isn't just the fact that these are all awesome songs, some of which are textbook examples of popular music in their late 70' era, its that Bob undertook this project to remake all of his original songs, so painstakingly recreating as close as possible, himself in the studio, each aspect of the originals. It is hard to tell throughout this record when they are not the original recordings without a close listen.

Lots of artists end up needing to make a re-make album later in life as the record labels make getting much of this music released again or licensed for films, or other uses, nearly impossible with their bureaucracy so it wasn't a surprise Bob would choose to make this album. What's different about Bob's remake collection is that they are done by him, soup-to-nuts, not by a group of studio musicians or pickup band but each and every part by the original artist himself. That alone makes this collection pretty special and unique to collectors and fans. This is all Bob, all the time and its splendidly done. Knowing how this record was made really shows the immense talents of Bob Welch, not just as a solo star, songwriter or ex-Fleetwood Mac singer, but as a very talented musician and engineer and producer. Bob is the real deal. This album must have required an amazingly large amount of time to craft to get everything just right, as close as possible, decades later armed with only modern recording technology and idea and the talent to pull it off. Outstanding effort!

I was so very disappointed with this. When I recieved it I placed it in my player right away and went straight to "Ebony Eyes" and when I heard it, that is where the disappointment hit. It sounded nothing like when I grew up hearing it. That's when I checked and found the caption "New digital recordings". I couldn't even bring myself to listen to the rest of it. I took it out, put it back in the case, and haven't even looked at it again. I'd try for a refund, but I think someone close to me will want it so I plan to give it to them.