One Toke Over the Line: Best of [Original recording remastered]

Brewer & Shipley | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 7, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Buddha
• ASIN: B00005MJYP
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,622 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Collection Of Their Hits!, July 23, 2002

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Toke Over the Line: Best of (Audio CD)

I can relate to the comments made by a previous viewer regarding the fact that Brewer and Shipley were really one hit wonders, but they were by no means a one-trick act. On the contrary, they were very talented and very skilled performers and artists. For example, anyone who listens closely to their "Shake Off The Demon" album will quickly recognize the depths of their abilities. So, although their catalogue of hits is short, the range of their work is much broader, and it is a shame that much of that work is not included here. I would much prefer to see an anthology that addressed a lot of the excellent folk-rock releases they produced, including a lot of the material from the "Shake Off The Demon" Album. For example, their treatment of Jackson Browne's "Rock Me On The Water" is probably the single best interpretation of the song I have yet heard, yet it is not available anywhere for anyone not having the original vinyl album.

What is included here is good stuff, but there is too little of it and it is not fully representative of all their work. Once again, like a previous reviewer I feel that much more should be included from their earlier and more elemental phases. Yet this is not to deny the appeal of what is here, including "One Toke Over The Line", "Tarkio Road", "Oh, Mommy, "People Love Each Other", and a lovely cover of Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower'. Also here is "Shake Off The Demon", "Yankee Lady", and an interesting number called "Fifty States Of Freedom" which is kind of an instant ticket back to those fabled times in the sixties when such commentaries meant something. All in all, this is an interesting album, and one I am glad to own, but I am hoping for a more complete and more representative release of the corpus of their work, including the bulk of the songs from "Shake Off The Demon" someday soon. Enjoy!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Woefully incomplete, November 7, 2003

By 

Rick Tharp "the_rxrick" (Plattsburg, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Toke Over the Line: Best of (Audio CD)

I suppose Brewer and Shipley were "one hit wonders" to most, but not where I came from (Kansas). Tom & Mike were our local heroes, KC area boys who made a name for themselves doing what they loved, making music.

Much of their best music didn't get AM radio airplay. "Oh Mommy", was our pseudo-hippie anthem and, thankfully, is included in this woefully inadequate compilation.

Tom & Mike harmonize as well as any brother act. Their songs have a wonderful folkie sound that harkens back to a safer, simpler time when "make love not war" was our slogan.

I originally gave this CD 3 stars because this "collection" misses quite a few of my favorite B/S songs like, "Song From Platte River", "Don't Want To Die In Georgia", and Jackson Browne's "Rock Me On The Water".

But I added back one star because it includes my favorite B/S song, "Rise Up (Easy Rider)", and another great one "Fifty States of Freedom".

It's a shame that Rhino or some other smart label hasn't put together a decent B/S package.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars for a new generation that will love it, January 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: One Toke Over the Line: Best of (Audio CD)

Brewer & Shipley came to my attention as a teenager, with the song "One Toke Over the Line." I bought the Tarkio Road album then and was fascinated by the rest of the music I heard, and wondered why the rest of the songs weren't playing on the radio. 25 years or so later, I sing opera and jazz standards myself, but I still love Brewer & Shipley. There is nothing more inspirational and valuable than this kind of music (wish I could sing it myself). In addition, this music reflects the roots & history of our culture (and not the invention of a marketer). The songs are full of meaning and a reflection of thoughtful artists and musicians. Now that folk, blues and bluegrass are regaining some popular attention I hope that generations younger than I will discover Brewer & Shipley for themselves (and that Tarkio Road will be re-issued). And today I'm ordering this CD for myself.