Customer Reviews

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

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

 

 

Before I begin whining, let me say first that I am quite happy that someone has taken the time to release this classic seventies pop album on CD for the first time. So I'm prepared to award about 8 stars to this CD just for existing at all.

But then I have to say
- minus one star for having none of the original artwork
- minus one star for having no liner notes or credits of any kind (somebody wrote these songs, yes? mention their names someplace, is that asking too much?)
- minus one star for being a CDR release and not saying so in large friendly letters; perhaps all releases on this Amazon-only label are CDRs, but I'm sure I have some equipment somewhere that is incompatible with this recording
- minus one star for misidentifying the song as "He Did It With Me", perhaps if there were liner notes a proofreader would have been hired

Ms. Lawrence released many 45rpm singles which have never been compiled onto a CD, predating this album and as late as 1979. So there's still an opportunity for someone to release a deluxe edition of this recording that includes some of those singles (and, while they're at it, maybe a head shot so today's youth might be able to identify what she looks like).

i was very upset there is no cover art of vicki lawrence, no liner notes, it looks like a bootleg but its not, next time but a little more care in releasing a long awaited album with a little more detail

I'm so glad to see Vicki's only recording being released on CD. I only wish it had the original artwork. However, it still sounds great!

This is one of those albums that I played non-stop when I was a kid, annoying my parents and sisters to no end. I gave away my vinyl copy ages ago, so the songs existed only in my memory . . . until now! I was so excited to see it released on cd. Amazingly, I remembered ALL THE WORDS as soon as I played it. I can't remember what I had for lunch last week, but I can remember the words to "Dime a Dance" and "Sensual Man." Go figure. As an adult, listening to this album is somewhat painful. Vicki Lawrence is not a strong vocalist, and her voice goes flat a few times, and it wimps out when the song gets too high or she tries to belt something. But the songs are harmless fun, and there is no denying that the single "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is truly a 70s pop classic that holds up well today. The packaging is somewhat lackluster: No liner notes about the re-release? No pictures of the vocalist? The song "He Did With Me" is erroneously presented in the track listing as "He Did It With Me," which changes the whole meaning of the song! The album is satisfying for me since it is a "lost treasure" from my youth. But it is not for anyone who enjoys the Kelly Clarkson/Beyonce/Mariah Carey style of "soulful" caterwauling. Things were different back then!

I had the original '70's LP of this Vicki Lawrence album. However it got
lost with time and I was happy to see it FINALLY in CD format. The sound
and songs are great, but like many other reviewers, I find the spelling
errors and lack of additional historical info not to my liking. But overall not a bad investment....

Finally I can listen to the music I remember hearing when I was a little kid!!!

This CD-R was created by Amazon using their on-demand service. Look on the back above the bar code -- it says, "Manufactured by Amazon.com.kydc, Lexington, KY." This is why there's no original artwork. They probably have a standard, cheap template for all Toucan Cove releases.

But what I want to know is: Was this burned from MP3s, or did Toucan Cove provide them with the full, uncompressed .wav files? Because if it was burned from MP3s, I want my money back. I would have done that myself.

Although "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia" is on several other compilation CDs this is the complete Vicki Lawrence album that was released when the "Georgia" song became a big hit. Vicki had an acting career playing Carol Burnett's sister on the latter's show as well as other assorted characters. She really became known when she played Mama in Mama's Family - a show that spun off and took a life of its own.

The two big hits on this album are the title track and "He Did With Me"( titled "He Did It With Me" on the CD), the original "B" side of the title single. Several of the other songs are covers of other folk's hits. Some of these other songs are entertaining, others are "Cabaret" versions that do not do her voice justice.

The sound quality is the same as the original album, good but not great so that's why this CD loses some points with me. It should have been remastered for a deeper richer quality of sound.

i still have my original single and lp. glad this finally came out on cd. but i want all the other songs she recorded too. i have looked for years for "ships" and "the other woman". when is someone going to put out the complete vicki lawrence?

Hello!
This is not Vicki's only album. She has made three in her career that were issued. Her second LP issued in Australia in 1974 on EMI/StateSide is titled "Ships in the Night" and her final LP issued in 1979 is a disco album titled "Newborn Woman" on the indie label Windmill Records. [...]