Customer Reviews

Rock Solid: Essential Collection

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Man oh Man can this guy rip it up! Anyone familiar with Pat Travers knows exactly what I'm talking about. For the uninformed, this is a great place to start. CD Now would be wise to provide sound samples for these songs. After that, do pick up his "Live-Go For What You Know" and "Crash & Burn" discs. Which are both available here on CD Now and elsewhere.

This very extensive collection of 32 songs, digs deep from Pat's nine Polydor albums. The songs are in chronological order (always a plus in my book). Unlike the review above, I feel the song selection does a great job of representing Pat's tenure on Polydor Records (although I would have liked a few more songs from Heat In The Street and Radio Active and had this collection fully utilized the 80 minute capacity per disc, this could have been achieved).

The sound quality of this collection is simply awesome. They did a fine job of remastering these songs (unlike the Majestic Rock reissues of Pat's 1st 4 Polydor albums -of which Majestic has promised me that they are in the process of obtaining new DAT masters to re-manufacture these titles).

The packaging is also simply stunning! A tri-fold digi-pak and 16 page booklet loaded with pictures (many of which I have never seen before) and very informative linear notes.

Oh, and as I said before;

CD Now would be wise to provide sound samples for these songs.

"Rock Solid: The Essential Collection" is a 2 disk compilation of Pat Travers' material from his 9 Polydor albums. For the uninitiated Travers was a Canadian born guitar hero from the seventies. His blues influenced playing can be perhaps compared best with players such as Robin Trower or Frank Marino. Travers while not a shredder always provided tasteful seventies era soloing. During part of his career he utilized the power trio format for his band. Among the musicians who passed through Travers' bands during this period were second guitarist Pat Thrall and drummers Michael Shrieve, Tommy Aldridge and Nicko McBrain. Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple provides guest vocals on "Stevie" and Thin Lizzy guitarists Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham also make guest appearances along the way. While the set contains no previously unissued material is does contain most of his best material. It contains his best known cut a live cover of Little Walter's "Boom Boom Out Go The Lights" from his "Go For What You Know Live" album. It is unfortunate that the set does not contain more live material as Travers always seemed to be more energized in concert. It also contains the concert favorite "Snortin' Whiskey". Other standout cuts include "Makin' Magic", "Rock 'N' Roll Susie", "Life In London" and "Go All Night". Travers was not adverse to covering other people's material such Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" and J.J Cale's "Magnolia". However, two of his best known covers, Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign" and Bob Marley's "Is This Love" were omitted for some strange reason. Since the disks do not utilize the full 80 minutes a few more tracks could have been added to the set. In addition, some of the material on the second disk does not hold up to the standards established on the first disk. The set might have been better served with less material from his last 3 albums from and more from his first 6. This is probably going to be the best summary of Pat Travers' career to be released and fans of gritty blues influenced seventies guitar playing will be overjoyed with this anthology. Those well-worn lps can now be replaced with this new remastered compilation of Travers' classic tracks!

The remastering job alone makes this worth the price, but the collection of material is stellar as well. If you're a serious Travers fan, consider this a must have. If you're a casual fan, this may be a little more than you are looking for, but the quality of sound and the track choices still make it dollar for dollar the best and most comprehensive compilation out there.

I have loved this man's style since I was 19 years old and, all these years later, he's still my favorite guitarist on earth. He doesn't play a million notes a minute like that noisy Dutch dork who was once married to Valerie Bertinelli, and he isn't overly mellow and annoying like Mr. Clapton. What Travers is is multi-talented, straight ahead, diversified rock 'n' roll, and this is from a girl who has pretty much left hard rock behind with a few exceptions.

I found this in one of the last dinosaur record chains left where I live and, impressed by the track selections, took it home and sat through it all, vividly recalling what made me love this man back in the late 70s and 80s. Aside from some tracks I would have preferred--this is small potatoes--this collection is beautifully remastered and takes 25 years off my life each time I hear it.

Disc One:

Tracks to love? Well, what's NOT to love, but will choose my faves: Fabulous version of "Hot Rod Lincoln" is always a classic, along with his cover of J.J. Cale's "Magnolia" from his debut album. "Makin' Magic" with its stunning fusion riffs, and "Rock 'n' Roll Susie" which always makes me proud to be an American girl. "Statesboro Blues" has been covered a million times (i.e. the Youngbloods, Allman Bros....) but never as cool as this! Funky "Gettin' Betta," "It Ain't What it Seems," along with Uriah Heepish "Lovin' You" from Putting it Straight (My personal fave of all his albums). I do wish "Tried to Believe" was included on here from Heat in the Street, but that's my own preference.

Disc Two:

What can I say? "Crash and Burn" is wicked sexy, heavy, and that sharp rhythm section is incendiare from start to finish. Why wasn't this a bigger album rock staple when it came out? Just like Armageddon's "Silver Tightrope," it is a tragical footnote in radio history, and unjustly so! "Your Love Can't Be Right" kicks holy fun anus, but I truly wish Travers' cover of Bob Marley's "Is This Love" would have been included on here instead of "The Big Event." "I'd Rather See You Dead" is a classic blues rock piece with blues hooks enough to have gotten AOR airplay back in the day, but some idiot missed out on this stellar track too, especially since it's the best track from Black Pearl. I mean, wow, listen to it! "Louise" and "In the Heat of the Night" are my two favorite tracks from Hot Shot, commercial as they sound, but we can't deny the brilliance of the live version of "Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)" from his excellent live Go For What You Know album that should have made him a household name far and wide.

Oh, hell, don't take my word for it. I'm just a chick, and most of Travers' fans are male, but I'm offering you my female opinion. You can look at everything else I review and see what time has done to me, or you can call me a renaissance dudette, but when all is said and done, I know rock when I want to visit it, and it doesn't get much better than mega-talented Patrick Henry Travers.

If you don't already have all of Pat's material and you want a great collection of his best stuff, this is it. Nuff sedd!

This is a great collection of tracks from a great underrated guitarist from toronto canada{he now resides in Florida}. This two cd collection compiles his best tracks from all his polydor albums 1976-84 included are all the songs he is most known for such as stevie, life in london, crash and burn, snortin' whiskey and i la la la love you. It also includes his great covers of hot rod lincoln and statesboro blues also not to be missed is his beautiful cover of jj cale's magnolia. Some of the best music of the mid seventies and early eighties lives again through this collection.

I'm a Pat Travers fan and was looking forward to this collection. Unfortunately the sound is so poor it's hard to enjoy. The guitar playing is great, but the combination of mixing and filtering have made the music lifeless. I've seen Mr. Travers in concert, and he has a great tone and style in that environment. However, this CD lacks emotion - it's too smooth and lacks energy. The guitar playing is fine, but the overall sound of the CD isn't. Wish I enjoyed it more!

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