Customer Reviews

Sunny Days Again: The Best of Lighthouse [IMPORT]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The backcover touts "Digtally Remixed". Above it says "from the original tapes". The CD credits "re-mixing engineered by Frank Marrone and Robert Hanson". The CD goes on to credit "re-mixing produced by Paul Hoffert, Ralph Cole, Skip Prokop, and Bob McBride". They should all quit the recording business immediately and find other work.

If you are like me, you look for quality re-releases of older material. Since there are 16 tracks on this one, it caught my eye. Particularly for the 70's hit "One Fine Morning". I figured the existing releases currently available of that track were not that bad, but it could always be improved upon with today's technology.

Not by these guys. They have to be deaf. Or they let the wrong take get on the final CD. Or they were hung-over when they re-mixed "One Fine Morning". If they want to continue working in the recording industry, they should get the label to quickly re-call this disaster and get it right and then re-release it. It's that bad.

As someone else here already noted, the bass track sounds different than the original. But that, is the least of the problems. The string section sounds like it was in the parking lot. The electric piano solo sounds like it was in the next room. The cymbals have no high-end at all. The lead guitar solo sounds like it was recorded in a 55-gallon drum. The horns and the vocal come out on top (as they should) but when the rest is in the mud, it's horrible.

This is a real shame. Especially when you spend your hard-earned money only to find out that the one track you really wanted should be used as a prime example of how NOT to re-mix music. If "One Fine Morning" was want you wanted from this CD, save your money.

If the other 15 tracks is what you wanted, amazingly, they are ok.

One of the many horn bands of the 70s, Lighthouse took a bit of a different spin from others. Along with a 5-piece rhythm section and 4 horns, they also added a string quartet. Think of Blood Sweat & Tears meets ELO. Add to that some really good singing - nice baritone voices singing 3 part harmony, and occasionally sounding a bit like Three Dog Night - and all that adds up to Lighthouse.

This CD includes most of their best stuff - great swaggering brass pieces like "One Fine Morning", "Silver Bird", and the travelling musician's lament, "Broken Guitar Blues." If you liked BS&T or the Ides of March, you'll probably like Lighthouse.

I have had a double album "Lighthouse Live" since it was released in '72 and have loved it forever. It was recorded at Carnegie Hall in '72. This band was huge and had hits on both sides of the border. Americans who came to live in Canada to avoid that draft fell in love with this bunch. The music is rock with brass, I'm thinking Blood Sweat and Tears but better with more ooomph and every bit as good as Chicago. This cd is an excellent sample of the work they did.

Its a shame more of the Lighthouse catalog isn't available on CD. They were one of my favorite bands from my youth, and after all these years, these cuts still sound fresh. Lighthouse was a band that recorded "live" (that is, even in the studio, everybody played together at once, rather than laying tracks down one at a time), so the sound you got on the albums was the same sound you got in concert.

I love that layered sound, with the live strings, horns, and tight, tight rhythm section. Great vocals too. One Fine Morning has to be one of the brightest, catchiest tunes in pop history (that 2-chord simple rhythm guitar lick will last forever in my mind). I was also partial to the "Can You Feel It" era of Lighthouse, and the hit from that album, "Pretty Lady."

Is there a complaint? I just wish there were more. Many of my favorites from Lighthouse are not included (I had all of the albums on vinyl at one time), and some of the digital remastering altered the depth and balance of the original cuts as I remember them, but that's a nit pick.

Lighthouse was full of great musicians making great music. If you like the "big band" rock sound of groups like Chicago, BS&T, and other bands of that genre, Lighthouse fits right in, and contributes a more unique sound and color than most of those 70ish bands.

Any chance they'll release more on CD? I hope so.

When I heard that these Lighthouse tunes were available on CD, I was quite happy to say the least. The selections on this disc are the best songs from their later albums, all post RCA. However, I was greatly dissapointed by the production. The bass solo in One Fine Monring is not the same one that is on vinyl. In addition, the horns have bad (cracked) notes that were not on the original recordings. It sounds as if some alternate tracks were used. The mixes are nowhere close to the records from the 70's. If these type of things don't bother you, then get the CD. If they do, avoid this disc and dig out your old LPs.

i just really love lighthouse. a horn + strings +etc. band that sounds brighter than chicago and more fun than blood sweat & tears. i wish more of their stuff was on cd, i only have this, my aunt's "can you feel it" on record, and the newish one from the 90's, song of the ages.

i especially like one fine morning, the songs from can you feel it (can you feel it, magic's in the dancing, pretty lady), hats off to the stranger, and little kind words. around the middle isn't too special to me, but it's still good.

you should also look at "song of the ages". the whole album is terrible, but if you're not too cheap then the last song, time tides, is worth the price of the whole thing. more really, but don't tell anyone or they'll raise the price :P

I give the CD 3 stars simply because I love "One Fine Morning," but I have to agree with Bill Larkin, the guy who submitted his review on July 23, 2006. The remix is in large part a disaster. The intro to the song sounds nothing like it did on the original vinyl release; it sounds like it was recorded using a cheap cassette recorder in someone's garage. The ride cymbal is muted as though a blanket was thrown over it. The driving rhythm guitar is also muted, lacking the sharp, punctuating sound on the original recording. The solo piano in the middle of the song sounds like it was recorded in another room. To the people who engineered this song: IT'S A SOLO - IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FEATURED, NOT PUT INTO ANOTHER ROOM!!! Overall, the remix of One Fine Morning sounds like it was done by a bunch of kindergarten kids exposed to a mixing board for the first time. It is just all out of balance and that is very disappointing for those of us who bought this cd in large part because we wanted to hear One Fine Morning again. I had read Mr. Larkin's review prior to purchasing this album but I was hoping that he was wrong. Unfortunately he was right on the money. For some reason they didn't ruin the other songs, though. "Pretty Lady," the other song I wanted, sounds like it did on the original vinyl. Why they had to mess with One Fine Moring and ruin it like they did is a tragedy.

Ok, I am writing this two months later. I thought perhaps my memory wasn't serving me right, but today I listened to the original mix of One Fine Morning from the original LP and my memory is fine. Unfortunately the remastered version IS NOT. It stinks! They totally ruined it, throwing it all out of balance and taking away the electric feel of the original mix. The remastered one on this album sounds like they found bits and pieces of the separate instrument tracks and just threw them together without any regard for what the song as a whole should sound like. For those of you who remember what the original mix sounded like, you will know exactly what I am talking about when you listen to this disgusting poor excuse for a remaster. Poor Lighthouse. Note: my acerbic comments apply only to One Fine Morning. To the deaf souls who did the remaster - couldn't you have had mercy on us and chosen another track to ruin instead????

[edit] Now I am writing this addition to the review on 9/26/10. I listened to One Fine Morning today and it is just as bad as I remembered it and it really made me ANGRY that anyone would ruin such a good song by complete, total lack of engineering expertise. It is as though someone put a blanket over my tweeter and midrange and just left the bass to play. Everything else is muffled and there is NO dynamic range to the song. What once was an exciting piece is now muzak. Whoever did this just absolutely sucked all the life out of this recording. This is probably the worst recording I have ever heard on a CD. I think all of us who bought this expecting decent sound deserve an apology and also another mastering of One Fine Morning. It is totally horrid.

I have to agree with everyone about the recording or re-mix of "One Fine Morning." A line from the song's lyrics came to mind yesterday, but couldn't remember who did it. I searched, got the answer and was quite pleased that I could download the song here for $.99. I just downloaded it, started listening and began fiddling, making adjustments, because I knew the sound couldn't be that bad. I remember hearing this on a truly bad radio in the seventies, and it sounded better. It sounds like they re-mixed it from an old cassette tape found in a glove box. This tried to muddy my memory of a great song.

OMG...
What a crappy audio remix! Sounds like my decades old worn out 8-Track tape with the treble turned off and a bass that must have come from another band. I am sick. The only thing available from a great group and I get this. The selection of the songs is not too bad, but the sound quality is so poor that I am about ready to toss it in the trash and get out my worn - but still much better than this - LPs. Please, can someone reissue this with quality sound?
I give it a 3 (5 for the great band and songs and 1 for sound quality)
A good quality LP recorded directly onto CD would have been 10 times better. Too bad we can't get the early RCA LPs too.

Bought this to get "Pretty Lady", a hard to find mid chart success for Lighthouse in '74. An earlier reviewer makes a connection between Lighthouse and Blood, Sweat and Tears and ELO. I would differ on that slightly, hearing similarities to Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago. Many of the tracks are highly listenable.