Customer Reviews

Have A Nice Decade: The '70s Pop Culture Box

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't want to lay a bum trip on you all, but I have some major problems with this box set. First of all, Rhino, probably the best independent label to specialize in archive music restoration, had the best of intentions to tackle this compilation of the 1970's and dress it up to make the package as appealing as possible with the wonderful sound quality, the shag rug, the soundbites, and an admittedly cool booklet with the history of the recording artists, their songs, and their perspective along with various events in world history. But by using the soundbites in between the songs it disturbs the flow of the songs; it also makes repeated listening a chore to sit through. The soundbites (usually lasting for 30 seconds) lead to the second problem; to make room for them a number of songs (Ride Captain Ride, for example) had to be shortened in length. Is it asking too much to leave the songs alone and complete? We're paying a lot of money for the songs, NOT for the soundbites! And we also get the pleasure of listening to a ghastly Jim Jones soundbite telling his followers to "get your medicine" and "don't be afraid to die" with people weeping in the background. Someone sure is sick at Rhino to include that. And for those of you who have the 25 volume series of Have A Nice Day who also want this box set you're gonna get some repetition big time. 80+ songs. We're talking over half of this package. For those who don't have the Have A Nice Day series and who, like me, grew up in the '70's listening to AM radio, you're gonna have some major flashbacks listening to this. If you can tolerate the soundbites and don't mind the shortening of some songs (shades of Ktel!) you'll enjoy this package. Just keep that in mind and approach it from there. Have a nice day.

Perhaps my favorite box set. This reminds me so much of listening to KYA or KFRC (two top-40 stations in San Francisco in the 1970's), when you would here rock, then country, then pop, then novelty songs. A fantastic blend. Favorite songs include: Popcorn, Chick-A-Boom(hadn't heard this since the '70s), Love Goes, More More More, Love Rollercoaster, School's Out, Dueling Banjos, Candy Man, Rose Garden, and I could go on. One star is missing due to

a. Some songs are cut
b. Some songs I would have liked to see(licensing would have been an issue on some) include
My Sharona by The Knack(biggest hit of 1979)
Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees
Bennie & the Jets by Elton John
Escape(The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes
I Think I Love You by The Partridge Family
Gonna Fly Now(Theme From Rocky)
Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney and Wings
Beth by Kiss
If You Leave Me Now by Chicago
Dancing Queen by Abba
We've Only Just Begun by The Carpenters
(Take Me Home) Country Roads by John Denver
Nadia's Theme

All of the above were major top 10 hits(most were big number #1s)

Rhino Records has tried to hit a home run and maybe only wound up getting to second or third base. Baseball analogy aside, this review cannot only focus on the music as it's not cheap. The packaging is amazing, the inserts are hilarious and informative, it includes timely sound bites of the era, and the 7 CDs do not skimp on the music.

Is it worth your time and money? Maybe. Out of the 7 CDs I wound up making a 4 CD mix (adding others that were not here)and I think it more than covers the best of this selection. My point here is that there is a lot of filler that is neither fun because it was great or because it was so cheesy. My best of would consist of the collections best songs and songs that although may not have been loved by the critics, were representative of the period.

So if money were not a consideration one could say go for it; however money is generally a consideration and it's not too fun to keep fastforwarding through songs that don't appeal to you. On the other hand the collection has songs that you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

The are some serious problems in that some songs were cut off or butchered for either space consideration or due to the focus on the single edits. This is particularly annoying in the live songs on the 7th CD.

This may be one of my least persuasive reviews because there is a lot to like, but almost as much that should have been inlcuded or have been left out. I enjoyed it but all in all it's not worth the price unless you have a lot of disposable income and are a collector of box sets.

Well, Rhino Records did it again....big time. Not merely content with releasing the 20+ volume "Have a Nice Day: Super Hits of the '70s" series throughout the Nineties, the quirky label has given us a total overview to add as a huge exclamation point with the boxed set.

To break down such a monumental set is not easy, so it behooves me to be as brief as possible. First, let's examine the set's finer points:

(1) The secondary title, "The '70s Pop Culture Box," should give the potential buyer some insight into what this collection is all about: a celebration, but also a sobering, view into what the '70s was all about. There are numerous soundbites spread throughout the discs to not only give a historical significance to the decade, but also are placed in front of certain songs to act as apt lead-ins. For instance, before Ray Stevens' "The Streak," a newscast story about the streaker who invaded the Oscar ceremony of 1974 introduces the novelty song.

(2) For the hard-core collector, there are a lot of tracks simply not to be found anywhere else. Whether from the Motown era, novelty department, funk, soul, disco, or just plain schlock, one can find just about anything of interest.

(3) The 89-page booklet (complete with a picture of a tacky, pine-green shag carpet with the ubiquitous smiley faces dotting the surface) contains a great article by Lisa Sutton on what the Seventies were all about. Each song features some excellent background on each song, helping to shed some light on the more obscure artists represented.

Now, for the lowlights:

(1) The tracks available are the 45 versions, not the full length. The three live tracks that begin Disc Seven ("Do You Feel Like We Do," "Free Bird" and "Ridin' the Storm Out") are expurgated; this was a source of irritation for me, as the full scope of these songs are rendered useless. Some songs (like "Ride Captain Ride" and "Signs") have the endings literally chopped off, even though the under-four-minute rule of 45 length is unaffected. VERY disappointing, as Hacksaw Reynolds would say. Some have the lousiest edits I've ever heard; ELO's "Evil Woman" and Jefferson Airplane's "Miracles" are just absolutely butchered.

(2) There are just so many flatulent songs here that are best left forgotten. A radio station in Boston once attacked a rival in an ad because the other station had a Sunday night program called "Lost 45's," hosted by Barry Scott. The ad summed up my point here by saying, "Those 45's aren't lost; somebody HID them."
Please, how many of you out there really want to hear Morris Albert's "Feelings," Helen Reddy's "I am Woman," Wayne Newton's "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast," or Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" ever again?

Still, the good outweighs the bad. For those who don't mind the editing, or really just liked the sound of AM radio anyway, you'll find so much to enjoy. Most artists who were representative of the period are not here, but as the booklet states, you probably have those songs on other collections. Agreed, but there were certainly tracks included that could have been just as judiciously left off (allowing, perhaps, more room on the discs for the full-length versions).

Keep in mind, too, that some other songs of value have been left off the boxed set, but may be found on the aforementioned "Have a Nice Day" series. Before spending too much on this boxed set, finding a few individual songs on collections like "Nice Day" makes better sense; besides, the price is reasonable for the individual volumes. Should you be willing to shell out the bucks for this extravaganza, you might find that the booklet, with a number of awesome pictures, illustrations, and beaucoup liner notes, will justify much of the expense.

Caution: This product may cause repeated flashbacks for listeners over the age of 40.

"Have A Nice Decade" is a solid sampler for folks who are looking to recall some of their 70's music heydays. Virtually all of the selections are the radio edits, but the shorter song lengths won't bother the target audience for this collection. The little news blurbs in between some of the songs are an OK touch. Overall, a fun collection for casual fans. More comprehensive collectors will want to dig more deeply for full-length tracks and broader selection from many of the artists (although there are a number of one-hit wonders here that are likely exempt from that search).

However, I'm docking this box 2 stars for the travesty that is Disc 7. What was Rhino thinking by including the radio edits of "Do You Feel Like We Do", "Free Bird (live)", and "Ridin' The Storm Out (live)"? In the cases of the first two songs, while these were ubiquitous 70's tracks, they were absolutely definitive in their unabridged album form, and very few people who enjoy these songs could possibly want to hear the radio edits. Why not save some CD space for addtional songs by including "Show Me The Way" and "Sweet Home Alabama", songs from these artists that were much more popular on Top 40 radio anyway, and wouldn't need abridgement. As for the REO Speedwagon tune, it is also cut significantly, but, even more important, when it comes to Top 40 radio hits, REO Speedwagon just doesn't belong on a 70's collection (80's - absolutely). This is not to knock their 70's output, just saying that from a Top 40 perspective, the 70's weren't their era. Thus, nearly 16 minutes of Disc 7 are wasted needlessly.

My husband bought me this CD collection for Christmas knowing that I was a 70's music addict...he couldn't have bought a better gift. These CD's include all the great songs of the era I grew up in...I can still remember most of the words. It is great to have all that music on one set of CD's...I just load up the CD player and go...I'm transported back to my teen years!!

This is one "boss" collection that puts to rest the old pessimistic saying: "you can't go home again". Memory Lane is NOT a dead-end street, but is in fact a super highway which you can cruise via this 7-disc set. This music caused us to walk around with a transistor radio stuck in our ear. This music was king before FM radio became cool. The box set contains 160 of the greatest hits from the 70's, plus an unbelievable collector's book, featuring clips about the artists, the songs, and what was going on in America at that time. Whoever thought up the packaging with the cover made up of a smiley face mini shag carpet deserves a raise of major proportions. On a scale of 1-10, I give it an unqualified 11. Buy it...you'll love it!

This is a great compilation of 70's "top 40" that will remind
you of your days growing up. It is a mixture of great songs,
songs that just plain 'bit', and songs that make you say "oh yeah,
I forgot about that one!!"

One may contest the lineup, wondering why they didn't have
"The Way of the World" by Earth Wind and Fire, or "Breaking
Up is Hard to do" by Neil Sedaka. One might also figure the
collection should have included "Dazz", "Disco Lady", or

"Undercover Angel", but I guess it can't include everything.
Still, what 70's compilation would be complete without some
of the WORST songs in recording history, such as "I am Woman",
"Feelings", and "Disco Duck"??

Advertising itself as the "70's Pop Culture Box", it also
includes a book that says something about each song and group
included on the CD's, as well as a timeline of significant
events of the 70's.

THE BIG PLUS--Yes, they are the original recordings by the
original artists...
THE BIG MINUS--Many of the songs begin with inserted news
bites (Nixon saying "I am not a crook", Ali saying "I'm the
greatest, Patty Hearst, etc.). These are REALLY REALLY
ANNOYING intrusions when you are trying to listen to the
music...

Rhino Records has put on CD's a ton of music which would never be found elsewhere. Much of it is found on this pricey but worthwhile box set. Lots of these tunes are very good, reminding those of us old enough to recall a time now between twenty and thirty years ago. The value of this set is found in finding here obscure songs which have somehow not made it onto discs otherwise. It is easy to pick two or three really great songs from each and another five or six worth hearing. It may be one of a few places to find "Joy" or "Green Eyed Lady", the Delfonics, Sugarloaf and a ton of one, two or three hit wonders.

Gotta take the bitter with the sweet, though, so we find "The Night Chicago Died", "Chevy Van", "Convoy" and more than a handful of truly forgettable songs. Ditto forgettable artists like Daddy Dew Drop, Rick Dees and Terry Jacks. However, we cannot judge this too harshly, though; after all, it was a whole decade!

There are about fifteen discs that Rhino has put in the "Have a Nice Day" series. They should have released all of them in one set. Failing that, there ought to be a second Volume covering the rest. It, too will be worth buying.

Being born in 1970,and growing up around alot of this music,HAND had to be in my music collection.Hearing these songs bring back memories good(The Candy Man)& bad(Disco Duck,Convoy)as well as introducing me to long forgotten tunes(Chevy Van,Alone Again<naturally>)as well as those that should remain forgotten(Afternoon Delight).But like all era compilations not everything could fit or be licensed(Springsteen,Elton,solo Beatles).So for every song I wanted on HAND(Tighter,Tighter,Loving You)there are those I'm glad wasn't included(Playground on my Mind)