Customer Reviews

Now: That's What I Call Classic Rock

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

 

 

OK, let's face it, if you create an album that contains "20 of the best Classic cuts of the century," you are going to have people arguing over which tunes should have been included and which ones should not have. As for me, I really enjoyed this album. It's got tunes that have always been among my all-time favorites - Barracuda by Heart, Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas, The Joker by the Steve Miller Band.

Is this the Top 20 ALL-TIME Classic Rock tunes? Not in my opinion. But, is it a great album, filled with great tunes? Oh yeah!

For anyone who loves classic rock, this a wonderful collection of songs spanning 1965 through 1982.

Whether you've been a long time fan or have just become one, this will be a great addition. It's a great sampling of some of the greatest names in rock. When you start playing this, turn up the volume and let the good times roll. Below are the songs' release year and Billboard Hot 100 peak position.

We Will Rock You-#4,1978/Barracuda-#11,1977/Bad To The Bone-#-,1982/The Spirit Of Radio-#51,1980/My Generation-#74,1975/Fire-album cut,1967/More Than A Feeling-#5,1976/Carry On Wayward Son-#11,1977/Renegade-#16,1979/Cold As Ice-#6,1977/Smoke On The Water(single ver.)-#4,1972/We're An American Band-#1,1973/Mississippi Queen-#21,1970/Bad Moon Rising-#2,1969/Sweet Home Alabama-#8,1974/The Joker-#1,1974/Rebel Rebel-#64,1974/Surrender-#62,1978/Show Me The Way-#6,1976/Rock and Roll All Nite-#12,1975.

Total Time-78:11

This is a bit of a sad collection with the most predictable choice of tracks. Anyone who likes this genre will already have all these songs so won't need to buy it.

I suppose if you are completely new to Classic Rock then this selection might be adequate but the project could really have done with being expanded to a two disc set (at least) to do itself justice.

Do the people who put these things together only have limited rights to the vast library of music out there? The same old songs always do the rounds. The only suprise here is that they chose "Surrender" by Cheap Trick and not the usual "I Want You To Want Me". Now that's really what I call living dangerously!

Sounds like a good idea for another collection.

**** 4 star product upgrade

WRITTEN LATER AS AN UPDATE: With time for reflection I am now man enough to admit that I regret some of my comments regarding this album in my previous review. Perhaps I was being a little selfish as a long time fan of the classic rock genre. Perhaps my expectations were a little high and I was hoping for something a little deeper for "the man who has it all".

Now: Classic Rock, the compilation, contains some of the most essential songs you will need to hear if you are just starting out on this musical journey and has been well put together as a programme - all the tracks follow on well and it is quite an impressive listen.

However, don't stop at just these songs as you really need to dig further. Kansas (who are featured here) are definitely worth investigating as are Deep Purple, in all their reincarnations. Heart are fantastic and no collection is complete without their albums "Dreamboat Annie" and "Little Queen". Cheap Trick are a little eclectic but have thrown up many a good tune in their time. I would particularly recommend their "In Color" album.

David Bowie is essential too up to "Station To Station". After that I don't really think he fits into the more widely accepted term of "classic rock" although his music always has its unexpected highlights even now.

There are many shameful ommissions on this compilation though. No Nazareth? Unheard of! And where are Sweet? A track from "Sweet Fanny Adams" or "Give Us A Wink" would not have gone amiss. Jethro Tull, Budgie ... I won't write a list but that is why I previously said that one disc was just not enough.

So to conclude then, Now Classic Rock is a pretty good introduction to the best kind of music ever produced. Not suprising, most of it came from the Seventies. I herewith upgrade my rating to 4 stars.

I bought this CD for my 6 year old son to introduce him to some real, good, rock and roll. It's a decent selection of songs and just right for him. Obviously there are a TON of great songs out there and there isn't a single CD collection out there that will be able to satisfy everyone...how can you really narrow an entire decade and a half's worth of music into one disc? Get serious...this is a decent one though.

No Humble Pie, no Steve Marriott wailing away, no Paul Rodgers' Free or Bad Company ??? But the Humble Pie miss is glaring. They were the kings of stadium rock in the 70s.

good selection, upbeat, energetic, lots of strong guitar and drum riffs; just what the office needed after riding up in a Muzak elevator.

To try and select Classic Rock songs and fit them on 1 CD is a nearly impossible task. But this is a fairly good representation of classic rock hits. I wish they used the original versions, though. For example, they use the shorter version of Smoke on the Water, and the shortened Intro is disappointing. But for 1 CD, this is OK.

There are no real hidden gems on this cd, instead there is a make up of classic songs that are regularly played on classic rock cd. I think of this edition of NOW as comfort food solid songs that almost appear as background noise as they are so familure. Playing this cd is like eating comfort food may not be the best but it feels good! Like other reviewers there are plenty of omissions but it is impossible to please everyone, this is a solid album with plenty of classics and covers alot of ground.

This great CD contains songs from the famed "arena rock" era; a time when rock and roll supergroups such as Styx and Kansas played to arenas full of screaming fans. Many great hits, including "Renegade" by Styx, "We Will Rock You" by Queen, "Carry on Wayward Son" by Kansas, and "Surrender" by Cheap Trick are included on this disc. Many times, one has to listen to a classic rock radio station to hear these forgotten classics. Now, thanks to this CD, many have been added together and can be played time after time.

I give this great disc my highest recommendation. As a fan of classic rock, I was glad to find a CD that contained so many of my favorite classic rock hits. I listen to this CD often, and I never get tired of hearing the thundering drums and searing guitars that made all of these songs so great. Put this great CD in the stereo and hear some of the best classic rock and roll from the 70s and 80s.

This is a great CD when you just want to rock out to the classic songs from the ages.