Customer Reviews

My Time: Anthology (1969-97)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Boz Scaggs may be remembered most for the disco / R&B styled hits 'Lowdown', 'What can I say' and 'Lido shuffle' in 1977, but there was far more to the man, as this excellent and comprehensive collection amply demonstrates. Boz was certainly not jumping on a disco bandwagon, as he had already spent a number of years honing his skills as an R&B/soul singer and band leader, resulting in several creditable albums leading up to his well deserved commercial breakthrough with the 'Silk Degrees' album from which came the above mentioned hits.

All his albums are adequately represented in this collection, although 'Silk Degrees' is particularly emphasised, with over half of the album included. This is justified, given the quality of the material, including the often-covered ballad 'We're all alone' and the jazzy, laid-back 'Harbor lights'. The follow-up albums, which like 'Silk Degrees' feature the superb rhythm section of Toto, are less well represented, but some of their best tracks are included, although there are a couple of surprising omissions - such as the ballad 'You can have me anytime', with its memorable guitar solo by Carlos Santana, and the Motown-styled 'Hollywood'.

There are also a number of interesting tracks from the last two decades, when Boz has kept a relatively low profile but has still made occasional albums, all to his usual high standard. This is an excellent album, without a dud track on it, and I would not wish to pick out favorites as the standard throughout is so high. With crystal clear remastered sound, a total of 33 songs giving a total length over 2.5 hours, an attractively designed booklet with an essay and full details of all tracks and musicians, this is an excellent overview of Boz's career. It should also persuade many listeners to obtain some of his other albums, some of which are now also available in remastered form.

Boz was and is a master of this genre, and most of today's young male singers with soulful pretensions should listen to this to find how it should really be done.

I have always loved Boz Scaggs' voice, but since his only song in my collection was "Look What You've Done To Me" from the "Urban Cowboy" soundtrack, I decided to give this a try as I wanted to hear some other favorites as well as songs that maybe I had not heard before. This 2-CD set is just what the doctor ordered. I have taken the generous song selection and made a no filler CD, which includes "Heart Of Mine", which is one my favorite songs of all time. His version of "We're All Alone" is gorgeous and hearing songs like "It's Over" and "What Can I Say" sounding so crisply take me to a place that is very special. If you love Linda Rontadt, Jackson Browne, the Eagles and other big-name artists of the late 70's, you will love this release because in my opinion he represents the best of the 1970's but remains as relevant today as he was back when this sound ruled the airwaves.

My only minor complaint is there there were songs that were not as great as my personal favorties, but I still give it a 5 star review because all of my favorites are there (which is a huge problem in my alleged "best of") and like I said, I made my own mix and can now listen to just my favorites.

OK .. you like Boz ... you may even have a few of his albums .. you know, that mid 70's disco stuff. But you are really missing the whole enchilada if you haven't heard this artist's fuller range of blues, rock, ballads, and accoustic songs. There is a basic honesty to Boz's music that has always been there ... whether the trends of the moment demanded career shifts into rock, pseudo-disco, blues or some American roots-rock hybred, Boz always seemed to come out on top of the form, and this collection confirms all that. Whether you have heard all those songs that weren't the hits or not, you will instinctually recognize that someone made an effort here to package much of what was the best of his career. I "discovered" a 80's styled gem of a song I had never ever heard before called "What's Number One" from his " Other Roads" album (produced by David Foster). Another tune from the same album, the effecting ballad "Heart Of Mine" was another gold nugget too. Sure there were a few left off that I would have rathered they include (i.e. "Finding Her" from his first album ) but that's always the case. But if you have a few albums or CD's and wish to expand your musical reference to this artist, this collection will not dissappoint. In addition, it's laid out in order, so you can "feel" the ongoing evolution of his best work as the disks play. When I got it, I played it for weeks on end. His unique vocal style, his sincere knowlege of blues, and roots rock all shine in this collection. Fear not ... this is a good one.

Boz Scaggs was one of those artists (like Fleetwood Mac) that is so heavily associated with the 1970s that one tends to overlook how innovative and creative they were. Their very ubiquity and vast influence undermines one's perception of their individual virtues. In 1976 or so you couldn't go anywhere without hearing songs from "Silk Degrees," and I, for one, got incredibly sick of it, and even more sick of the many copycats it spawned.

In the context of Boz Scaggs' whole career, which is thoughtfully encapsulated on this affordable two disk set, you realize that this great musical craftsman had been slowly developing the unique mix of classic R & B, romantic balladry, pop craft and contemporary dance grooves from the very beginning of his solo career; and in his unassuming way, created that 1970s "white soul" sound. The great early songs like "We Were Always Sweethearts," "Dinah Flo" and "Slow Dancer" are the foundation for what he produced on his soulful mega-hit "Silk Degrees." "Lowdown," borrows a few disco touches,
"What Can I Say" blends in the Philly soul sound, but everything is done very tastefully, humbly, and quite pleasureably. He then continued in that same vein, coming up with fresh new twists on his classic formula on albums that were big hits, as well as albums that slipped under the radar. Disk two includes a couple of songs that are ruined by 1980s production touches that seem completely at odds with his style--that tinkly, fairy-dust keyboard sound has ruined a lot of good songs. But it also includes Boz's more obscure, but very successful attempt to go back to the sound he started out with--blues, R&B, Ray Charles-like soul. There's a collaboration with Booker T and the MGs that is stunning, and the song "Some Change" is a burner.

To me, however, the most magical cuts are the ones that kick off side one, some taken from albums like "Moments," "My Time" and "Boz Scaggs and Band" that remain unavailable on CD. It would be nice to hear the whole albums, which have been unavailable for decades. For a guy who seemed so rooted in a specific time, Boz Scaggs has proven to be a timeless artist.

I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early '70s, when Boz was first becoming popular locally. I look back and think what those rough beginnings have led to.

One of his early songs which I remember from those days was
"We Were Always Sweethearts". It received a good bit of local airtime but probably very little elsewhere. Including this track was a big reason for my buying the set in the first place. It was such a nostalghia trip for me to listen to this song for the first time in over 25 years (since I moved from California).

But there is so much more to offer. This collection provides a thorough review of all of the different musical genera Boz has done over the years...rock, R&B, blues, love ballads, etc. The unsuspected listener is delighted with a sampling of each. And the 32-page liner booklet chronicles his career thoroughly and is almost worth the collection price itself.

Unlike a "Greatest Hits" set, which typically is restricted to an artist's best-known works, this is a true anthology: a sampling of many different styled from many parts of his career.

This 2 cd set is probably the best compilation of Boz scaggs work ever. this cd contains all the hits(Harbor lights, Lowdown and Lido Shuffle)from the multiplatinum album silk degrees as well as other classics from his other albums. There are also harder to find selections such as his cover of Drowning In The Sea of love from the New York Rock & soul album as well as a version of As The Years Go Passing By with Booker T & the Mgs recorded live for the Columbia Radio Hour series.There is also 2 selections from his mini (seven-track) CD for virgin Japan Fade into the light. There is only one draw back the songs are not arranged in chronological order(the first cd starts with Runin' Blue from his third solo album and finishes with Loan Me A Dime from his first solo album)outside of that this is a really great anthology I highly recommend it....

I had initially thought that writing a review of Boz Scaggs 2 disc compilation " My Time " would be one of those "easy as falling off a log ' sort of things. You know, an exercise in simply sitting down, letting Boz's magnificent voice pour over you and then merely letting the accolades flow. But....after listening to this anthology for a short time I've come to realize that an easy experience this will not be. Let me explain....

Again, the primary enjoyment that comes from this collection is Boz Scaggs wonderful vocal talents. More just just some blue-eyed soul singer ( i.e. Darryl Hall, not that that's bad! )Boz epitomizes an artist who sounds comfortable in most genre's. Be it R&B, Soul or even Memphis Blues he feels extremely at ease and can handle his way around a song like few other singers that I know. Even before his breakthru classic " Silk Degrees " which here is given ample treatment with 6 selections, Boz had a strong following in the Bay Area with a minor hit called " Dinah Flo " also featured here and a cult-classic called " Loan Me A Dime " a lengthy 13 minute blues track featuring the incredible slide guitar of Duane Allman. This selection alone may be worth the price of admission and it ends disc one on an extremely strong note. Before that, of course, the obvious hits, " Lowdown ", " Lido Shuffle " and, for me, his strongest ballad to date " Harbor Lights " Plus, all selections are generously album cuts, giving the listener the full version of each song. Disc one was everything I had initially hoped it would be. But, disc two presented some unforseen problems.

As previously stated, Boz's vocal talents are formidable and because of those unique talents it's difficult, I feel, to find songs that are able to showcase those wonderful gifts. Many of the tracks to be found on the second disc simply are not worthy of this singers talents. Selections such as " 1993 ", " Breakdown Dead Ahead " and even " Heart of Mine " sound not only terribly dated but they present no challenges to Mr. Scaggs strong vocals. Many are simply 'nice' tunes but sound far too " Pop " for this listener to take seriously. Don't misunderstand me though, there are some wonderful tunes to be found here, the Latin-tinged " Simone " is very nice, as is " Miss Sun ". Plus the acoustic " Sierra " showed a side of this singer I wasn't aware existed. The only problem is to be able to find songs strong enough to let Mr. Scaggs do what he does best, which is to let his singing abilities stand front and center, be it R&B or Soul. Instead of singing songs written by Bobby Caldwell or even some of his own compositions ( I simply cannot get through " What's Number One " )it would be wonderful to hear Boz tackle songs that aren't necessarily " radio-friendly " but geared more toward an audience that appreciates a strong, hook-laden R&B selection such as he did with " As The Years Go Passing By " with Booker T & the MG's.

Well, with the recent release of " Dig " my initial hopes for this artist may still come to fruition. That too was a wonderful disc ( and all resemblances to " Silk Degree's " really misses the point with that incredible CD! ) and I'm looking forward to whatever Boz may release next. No matter how you may care to catogorize this artists back library, be it ' city-soul ' or ' southern blues ' anyway you cut it there's so much here to enjoy.

In 1976, Boz Scaggs turned out a masterpiece of an album entitled "Silk Degrees." It's smash hit songs, including Grammy-winner "Lowdown" were staples of that era. But they really only reflect one side of Boz Scaggs' talent. The problem is, that's really the side most people are probably interested in. This anthology is all-encompassing and covers Boz' earliest works up until 1997 when this collection came out. By then, the blues-influenced artist had moved on to more of an adult contemporary/ballads style of singing. Fans interested in a certain style of Boz Scaggs' may be better served by purchasing his individual albums. "Silk Degrees" or "Hits" would probably serve the needs of most buyers. But if you're interested in hearing his evolution, this collection will take you through his many phases.

This is a great CD for the casual fan of one of America's great musical artists. It is a good representation of a body of work. Good production values and digital remastering. The only problem is that all of us old fans of Boz want CD's of his greatest works, "MY TIME" and "MOMENTS", the two LP's that haven't become available in CD format. Come on Boz, I know there is a demand for this material!

One can always question the tracks included on an artist's retrospective collection; however, to question the material included in the My Time collection would largely be a wasted effort. Sure, it would be easy to argue for the inclusion of "Full-Lock Power Slide" or "We're Waiting", but what IS included on this collection is very weighty indeed. The liner notes are informative and interesting, the packaging is splendid, and the production values of the recordings are exquisite! The only way to improve this offering would have been to include a live rendition of "Loan Me a Dime" This is an outstanding collection, add it to your repertoire today.