Customer Reviews

Hip Li'l Dreams

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Fantastic CD. Bill & the Sons really outdid themselves this time. Just goes to prove the best music today is not on the Radio.

Rich

In 1977 the so called "King Of Rock & Roll" passed away. 1977 was also a sad year because it was also the last time we saw a studio record from "The Sons Of Champlin." It is now 2005, some 28 years later and we now can confirm these 2 things. 1. Elvis really is dead and #2 "The Sons Of Champlin" are back and far from being on life support. This legendary SF Bay area favorite has returned with an 11 track, in your face recording full of solid r&b, funk and a dash of 60's psychedelia with screaming guitar solo's, jazzy vibe riffs, punchy horns, tight harmonies and soulful singing from one of the best, well versed musicians that the biz has to offer and that is Bill Champlin.

Formed in the late 60's, Champlin continues to front this heavily soul influenced band with stellar cuts like "For Joy, The Swim and Maybe," which will have you tripping back to the days of the Fillmore or those 4 days on Yasgur's farm. Besides Champlin, longtime members James Preston (Moby Grape), Dave Schallock (Big Brother) and Geoff Palmer continue to provide a very tight rhythm section and Palmers vibe solo's are an added treat. We don't "need more cowbell," we need more VIBES! Guitarist Tal Morris' tenure in the Sons was a short one but his searing fret work on this project will make many seasoned players drool. The horn section of Mic Gillette & Tom Saviano only adds to the already powerful mix, proving that brass does indeed kick ass.

As Champlin continues to be a card carrying member of Chicago it is obvious that the Sons are his pride and joy and where he shines the best. They continue to be way ahead of the curve musically, infusing horns & B-3 all into one hell of a package. And with the stale music scene being what it is "Hip Little Dreams," is a much needed shot of what a "real band" should sound like. Let's just hope we don't have to wait another 28 years! As Champlin recently said, "this is too good not to continue." I for one, tend to agree.

Go to [...] for all the latest Sons info.

Brian Pearson
Deacon Grooves Media

The Sons of Champlin have been around since 1967. They are as good but so much more mature these days. Their Music is still excellent. Most of the music is Bill Champlin's (from the band Chicago) and very polished. Not quite as raw as 39 years ago but just as satisfying as ever.....

Back in the day, the Sons were one of the legendary Bay Area rock hall bands. In my opinion, they never achieved the national fame they deserved. Maybe it's because their vibrant high-energy sound never quite translated to their recorded material. They have perhaps overcome that gap with Hip Lil Dreams. Sons alumni Bill Champlin, Geoff Palmer, Dave Schallock, James Preston are joined by trumpeter Mic Gillette, new guitarist Tal Morris and Tom Saviano on sax. It's clear that Bill's 25 years with Chicago has affected his writing and producing, but so what? The Son's charged mix of toe tappin' rhythm, soaring organ, tight horns, driving guitar and energetic vocals is the stuff that matters. That's all that ever mattered. The only difference now is that their craft has become much more polished, their soul more experienced and their recordings true to their sound.

The previous review is so right on that it is hard to had anything else to the party, except to say that the real treat for Sons' fans has been the few live dates during the year when
Bill Champlin takes a break from touring with Chicago and really
gets down and dirty with his real passion. Picked up "Hip Lil
Dreams" at Tower Records today, and I too am shakin my head in two directions, one with the funky beat, and the other with how come nobody else knows the real lowdown about this baddest of
bands?

I started following Champlin's career after seeing him as the musical guest on "Fridays" 'way back in 1981 (imagine my surprise when he showed up as a member of Chicago on "16" the very next year). Simply put, the guy rocks.

This new set by the Sons is a stylish revamping of their classic sound. All the old elements are there--the funky melodies, the wah-wah guitars, the back beats, the punchy horns (courtesy of Mic Gillette and Tom Saviano), plus Champlin himself is growling in fine form. There are no bad tunes on "Hip Li'l Dreams," and there are several great ones, including "For Joy" and "Star Outta You" (a *terrific* indictment of today's cookie-cutter music scene).

Recently, on "Chicago XXX," Champlin has been able to break out with that classic band, penning and singing some of the best cuts on that set ("Already Gone," "Better," "Where Were You"); the Sons, however, seem to be his laboratory, and "Hip Li'l Dreams" is well worth having.

The best thing about this album again is singer musician extraordinaire (sp) Bill Champlin. He has been around since (on vinyl)1968 with this band SONS OF CHAMPLIN...whom Chicago Transit Authority took a heapin helpin of influence and became ever so popular. Don't get me wrong!!!! Chicago had a great run of it and still needs to be commended for their virtuosity and tenure BUT and I say BUT!!!!... The SONS OF CHAMPLIN WERE THE FIRST AND THE BEST TO USE THE SOUND AND THE SOUL THAT never reached the radio waves (probably due to the drug influenced lyrics) Well THE SONS are still around and WOW are they ever so great!!!! I have been listening to them constantly since 1968...Please PLEASE buy this album because of Bill and the boys and the talent and the guts to be something different... YOU MUST BUY "HIP L'IL DREAMS" BY SONS OF CHAMPLIN as a follow up OR A PRECURSOR TO CHICAGO XXX....You won't only be pleasantly suprised at the sound and the talent (original members Geoff Palmer-vibes---hey no one used vibes in a rock band ever and since!!!! keys and sax....Dave Shallock Bassist extraordinaire...and great drummer James Preston. Tom Saviano and Mic Gilette (of Tower of Power fame) on Sax, Trumpet and Trombone fill it out...Guest vocals by Tom Johnston of The Doobies and Bobby Kimball of Toto shows you how influenced they were by this incredible band. IF YOU LIKE INCREDIBLY SOULFUL SINGABLE MUSIC THIS ALBUM IS FOR YOU!!!!!! (THEN GET ALL THE PAST SONS ALBUMS ( sorry cd's I grew up in the 60's) you will be hooked.......and if you EVER EVER get a chance to see them live.... you will follow them until you die lol

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this in 2004 before it's final mix and release. Since then I've bought at least 10 copies because I keep giving them away to people who've never heard of the Sons. Buy this CD if you are into R&B/Jazz Rock/Soul/funky stuff with a real San Francisco vibe. Many people acknowledge Bill Champlin as the preminenet "Blue Eyed Soul" singer in the business. He's an unbelivable song writer who won Grammy's for writing "After the Love is Gone" for Earth, Wind & Fire, and "Turn your Love Around" for George Benson. I'm just happy this band didn't really go away. Everything changes but some people don't like or want change. Maybe that's where the one negative reviewer is coming from. Terry Haggerty has left the room. Get over it already. Tal Morris, the excellent lead guitarist on Hip Li'l Dreams has moved on too (Creedence Revisited) but the core of the Sons, Geoff Palmer who plays any instrument he can get his hands on, funky bass player David Schallock, and the baddest drummer on earth James Preston. He is a human DRUM MACHINE with more heart & soul than anybody. If you like horns you have to buy this CD. Sons fans want these guys playing together full time, not just when Champlin can fit a few Sons gigs into his unbelivable Chicago schedule. This is the real deal. The band that other musicians ALWAYS go see live if they happen to not be working that night. Carmen Grillo, lead guitar player for Tower of Power is now a full fledged member of the Sons since Tal left. The boy is BAD. Buy this one as well as every recording put out by the Sons and SPREAD THE WORD. Peace.

i've had this cd for a couple of days. do not expect to hear a continuation of 'loosen up naturally' or any of the tunes on 'best of'. what you do get is an album with a lot of soul and r&b flavored stuff. still sounds good although there's a few songs that sound very generic on here. for the most part, i give bill c. and co. kudos for taking chances and doing something different with their music. the reason i gave it only three stars is because despite the fact that this album is good, i still like 'loosen up' and 'best of' better than this one. the remake of 'for joy' from welcome to the dance is pointless. but there's a lot of good songs on here too

Absolutely dreadful. Over produced. Unimaginative. A real shame. When the live CD came out in 1998, we said that's cool because they did a tour. But some of us asked "Are you going to do something new?". Apparently not. They ruined "Follow Your Heart" in 1976 and now they've done it again with "Swim". I love Bill Champlin's voice, but all those years playing with Chicago shows. We use to take LP's that we hated and smash them on the pavement. This CD deserves to be in a skeet shooting contest.