Customer Reviews

Harden My Heart - Best of

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

 

 

Works well as a Quarterflash best-of. Glad they included songs that were not on any of the albums, like Night Shift (from the movie) and Don't Be Lonely, the B-side from Harden My Heart (also used in a movie). The best songs are definitely the ones that feature Rindy Ross's sexy vocals and sax work.

Here's the down side: at 50 minutes, they could have included a few more songs. Valerie and Williams Avenue are two great ones from the first album that I would have liked to have on here. Another one or two from the last (and most underrated) album would have been welcome, too.

Liner notes are okay, but a bit brief. Mention a little of the history of the band and well-known songs. Interesting note on where the name Quarterflash came from.

Rindy Ross and Quarterflash could have been among the last of the great classic rock bands, but the lush, synthesized sounds of the '80s took their toll on this fabulous band, and the group stopped recording after only three albums. Still, within the space of those three records, Quarterflash managed to churn out three big hits, including one of the most memorable singles of the entire decade, "Harden My Heart."

This collection, while good, could have been better. (But isn't that true of most greatest-hits packages?) The major problem with this collection is the inclusion of "Eye To Eye" and "Critical Times." Both are fine songs, for would-be power ballads, but Rindy Ross doesn't sing them. The guy on vocals has a fairly bland voice compared to Rindy Ross' Pat-Benatar-like pipes, and his songs interupt the flow of the CD. If there had been two Rindy Ross songs included in place of those tracks, this would have been a five-star CD. The fact is, when someone thinks of Quarterflash, the image that comes to mind is Rindy Ross wailing on her sax in between delivering her fabulous vocals -- as far as the public was concerened, Rindy Ross *was* Quarterflash.

One stunning inclusion is "Don't Be Lonely," which was Quarterflash's contribution to the "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" soundtrack. I have always loved this song, and seeing it on this CD sealed the deal of whether or not I would buy the CD. A wonderful track! Other standout tracks include the terrific "Give Me The Right Kind Of Love" (why wasn't this a single?).

Fans of '80s music will enjoy this CD!

OK, so she's a saxophone playing school teacher who made it big in the early 80's. Aside from that, this is an awesome CD! No 80's collection is complete without it. And for the record, or is it CD, this disc has the full version of 'Find Another Fool'. I've heard of some 80's compilations that fade it out toward the end. That's not the case here. All the songs are the original hits as they appeared on their original albums back in the early 80's. No rerecords or editing here. All of the well known hits are here. If you are a fan of the early 80's music as I am. You had better grab this one before it's out of print. These tracks still sound as great as they did when they were new. It makes me long for the days when the music, the hair, and the hits were really big.

I don't know why one review said "snore snore", but some of us who grew up with this group, and music such as this, still enjoy listening to it. I can't stand the head banging stuff my teen son listens to, and I continue buying 80s music which I like and grew up to. This is an excellent cd, highly recommend.

Very cool collection, but how could they possibly leave "Williams Avenue" (one of their best songs in my humble opinion) off of this disc? Quarterflash certainly found a little niche with their distinctive infusion of jazz, funk, rock and sultry vocals. A very tight and versatile band. Too bad they did not have a few more offerings for us to sample. In any event, this disc is well worth the investment.

A COLLECTION OF THIS GREAT BAND FROM THE EARLY 80'S--QUARTERFLASH--ALL OF THEIR GREAT HITS ARE HERE-HARDEN MY HEART-FIND ANOTHER FOOL-RIGHT KIND OF LOVE-TAKE ME TO HEART--TALK TO ME-TAKE ANOTHER PICTURE AND WALKING ON ICE. IF YOU EVER THOUGHT OF GETTING AN ALBUM BY THIS BAND, THIS IS THE ONE! GREAT VOCALS AND SASSY SAX(A WOMEN PLAYING SAXOPHONE IN A ROCK BAND!)YOU JUST WILL BE SURPRISED AND TURN UP THE VOLUME ON THIS ONE!

Most of the sites I visited never heard of Quarterflash. My daughters, of whom I have quite a few, didn't connect the song and the group. Once again, Amazon to the rescue. Delivered on time, in promised condition and at a very reasonable price.

I enjoyed this CD very much. Especially Night Shift from the 1982 movie. All of the songs have a good beat although they do sound largely the same. I still give this CD a thumbs up.

After reading the other comments, I thought maybe I forgot another hit other than track one. Nope. Not one rings a bell. And I grew up on '70's and '80's music.

Don't misunderstand, I loved track one, and think she's cute as a button, but I can't figure out where the "Best of" songs for one hit wonders come from. Where's Baltimora's Best Of album? Tommy Tutone? Benny Mardones? Debbie Deb? Divinyls? Marillion? Motels? Yello?

It's a good listen for the curious, but it might invoke a "where was I?" puzzlement from the listener.

"Harden My Heart" was a huge hit single in late 1981. It is standard MOR fare, heard today on shopping mall sound systems across America.

What is astonishing is that this band managed to, albeit briefly, make a career out of recording this same song over and over. "Take me To Heart," and "Right Kind of Love," for example, are almost paint by numbers duplicates. The public bought it for a while but then wised up, and this snooze of a band has not been heard from since.